The Unthinkable Happens
by bdn2372
Summary: Tony came back from the plague early. What would have happened if he had chose to stay home that extra week? How would things have been different? Read on to find out.


**Chapter 1: The Decision**

Tony was sitting at home in his apartment contemplating weather or not to cut his sick leave short and come into NCIS a week early. He had wanted so badly to go in but today his chest was aching and he still had a little shortness of breath. The good thing was that Kate had promised to come over again after work.

Tony smiled at that thought, he reminisced about the past couple of weeks. They had become extremely close since he was first diagnosed with the plague. He had known she wasn't infected because she had been forced to wear a surgical mask when she was in isolation with him.

He had seen her run out and be engulfed in a he hug by Ducky and watched her break down in his arms. He hadn't had much time to dwell on it because right after was when the pneumonia had hit him the worst. He had felt like he was drowning in his own skin because he couldn't hardly take a breath. Tony shuddered with those memories, but just having Kate stay with him the following night had meant the world to him. The following days she would come and see him each day and try to lift his spirits and for the most part it was working.

Tony finally decided to call the duck man and see if he could get his advice on whether to stay home or cut his leave short. Tony called down to autopsy instead of Ducky's cell and said, "Ducky, hello how are things down in the duck pond? If things aren't too busy at the moment I need to ask you for some advice on something."

_"Of course Anthony I will help you in any way that I can just name it." Ducky answered _

"I was thinking about coming in to work a week earlier than my leave was for but today my chest is feeling achy and I have a little shortness of breath and wondered if you could tell if I should come in or just go ahead and take the extra week?"

Ducky sighed and said,_ "Anthony my dear boy, if you are having any problems at all I would advise you to stay home and take care of yourself. I know you want to come in but now you have to take extra care of your health because your lungs are scarred. You still have to fully recover from your bought of pneumonia. Stay home my boy one more week won't kill you."_

Tony knew he was right but he had a gut feeling something bad was going to happen in the near future. With his good luck though it would probably happen to him so he thought maybe if he did just stay at home then he could avoid it. Tony then said, "All right Ducky I'll stay at home this last week but let me know if you need me for anything, okay?"

Ducky thought that it would be tougher to persuade Tony to take his final week of sick leave so he said, _"Don't worry Anthony I will let you know if we need you for anything. Oh I'm sorry my boy it looks like we have a double murder to attend to. Anthony you stay at home and concentrate on getting better let us handle the bad guys for once."_

Tony had heard Ducky mention a double homicide and so badly wanted to help but took Ducky's advice and said, "Okay Duck man but if anything at all happens and you just need to pick my brain call me. Now I won't keep you any longer but thanks for the advice Ducky, bye." Tony then hung up on him Gibbs style.

Little did Tony know he would be called into work only a few short hours after the call?

**Chapter 2: The Blast**

Gibbs, McGee and Kate were at the scene observing the red mustang that had went down the hill with the two sailors sitting in the car. All three could see the bullet wounds that they both had sustained. Gibbs then said in his usual gruff manner, "Well we better get down there he crime scene isn't going to work itself. McGee bag and tag, Kate sketch the scene, I'll take photos."

Kate had bad feeling as well when she saw the car with the two men in it that had been shot repeatedly in the chest. She was deep in thought about it when Gibbs' orders broke through her small daze she was in and started down the side of the steep hill.

McGee just thought that it was another gruesome murder while making it down to the car but his foot got caught on something and he went tumbling down and ended up lying on his back right next to the mustang.

Gibbs just sighed as he approached Tim and said, "McGee check the trunk first before you bag the evidence," then dropped the car keys on his chest.

Kate was just finishing sketching the inside of the car, since she was such an excellent artist, when she noticed that Ducky still hadn't arrived yet and said, "Gibbs I noticed Ducky isn't here yet I'm going up the hill to wait on him."

Gibbs was busy photographing the inside of the car when he heard Kate speak to him about Ducky and said, "If you are finished sketching go wait for him."

McGee was slow to get off the ground and noticed Kate was finishing up the sketching and asked Gibbs if it was alright to go wait for Ducky. He then slowly made his way around car to the back as he noticed that one of the sailors was missing a hand and said, "Hey boss the driver has his right hand missing. Why do you think they did that boss?"

Gibbs was walking around the front of the car snapping pictures when McGee asked his question but Gibbs saw a piece of a green wire sticking out of the side of the car and realized the car was wired to blow. "McGee don't turn that… Gibbs never got to finish his sentence because McGee had turned the key to the trunk and triggered the blast.

Tim had made his way to the back of the car and put the key in the trunk when he heard Gibbs yell at him but he finished turning the key and then there was a blinding white flash and then nothing.

Gibbs was blown back from the car while catching a lot of shrapnel from the pieces of the car and coming down from the shock wave he hit his head on a rock and was knocked unconscious.

Kate was walking up the hill and was about half way there when the force of the blast knocked face first into the ground and also knocked her out cold.

McGee on the other hand was killed instantly, there wasn't much left of his body either because he had taken the brunt of the blast and his body was also thrown back at least fifteen feet.

Ducky and Palmer had just pulled up in the ME van when the explosion happened and they only received minor cuts from the glass breaking on the driver's side window. After making sure that the other was okay, besides the cuts, they got out of the van and ran down the side of the hill.

Palmer stopped next to Kate on the hill but she was already coming around and said, "I'm fine Palmer check the others and make sure you call an ambulance first."

Ducky spotted Gibbs about fifteen feet from the blast and rushed over to find him barely alive. He was too afraid to move him because of how badly he was hurt. Just by looking at Gibbs he could tell that both legs and at least one arm was broken because they were bent at odd angles. Ducky could hear the sirens in the distance and prayed they would make it in time to save his friend.

Palmer saw Ducky run to Gibbs so he looked around to try and locate Tim. Looking towards the rear of the burning shell he noticed there was a badly burned body about twenty feet behind the car and hoped and prayed it wasn't McGee. Jimmy rushed over to the body but there was no way that he could tell just by looking at it.

**Chapter 3: Aftershocks**

The first ambulance on the scene took one look at Gibbs and called in a Medevac helicopter.

The second ambulance that was only a few minutes behind the first took Kate to Bethesda to be treated for what the EMTs said was probably a concussion.

Ducky went with Gibbs in the helicopter also en-route to Bethesda, but first he pulled Jimmy aside and said, "Call Anthony and the director and tell them what happened."

Palmer was dreading both calls and decided to call the director first and after that he would call Tony. "This is Jimmy Palmer for the director, I really need to speak with him because it's an emergency and concerns Agent Gibbs team."

"This is the director speaking who is it that called me about Agent Gibbs' team having an emergency?" Morrow yelled into the phone.

Jimmy took a deep breath and said, "Sir my name is Jimmy Palmer, I'm Dr. Mallard's assistant and I'm calling you sir because all of Agent Gibbs' team excluding Agent DiNozzo were involved in a bombing while out on a case sir. Agent Todd was taken to Bethesda to be treated for a concussion. Sir also Agent Gibbs had to be medevac'd out of here because he was in such back shape like two broken legs and at least a broken arm and that's not including his other injuries we don't know about sir. Also I think Agent McGee was killed in the blast sir but I can't tell if it's him just by looking at the body sir."

Tom Morrow wasn't the kind of man that surprised easily but this news had completely floored him. It was a good 20 seconds before he said anything but trying to get his emotions under control he said, "Thank you mister Palmer I'll notify the FBI and all of the appropriate people. I also think that I should call in Agent DiNozzo also."

"Thank you sir, I'm sorry to be the bringer of bad news," Jimmy said to the director.

"That's alright son; just make sure that you stay at the scene until I can assign another team to the case, okay?" Morrow told Jimmy then hung up the phone. Tom leaned back in his chair and sighed running a hand over his face thinking god what a mess. First DiNozzo opens a letter and gets the plague and now this. God this call is going to be terrible. Picking up the phone Tom calls Tony's cell.

"DiNozzo," Tony answers when Tom calls.

"Agent DiNozzo, this is the director, I am calling you because we need you to come into work. This morning Gibbs' team got a case and at the scene the car that the two victims were in was wired to blow." Tom told tony in his gruff manner.

"What, sir did something happen at the scene, is someone hurt or worse I'm on my way sir." Tony said in an almost hysterical way.

"Tony calm down first, and yes something did happen. First, I'm sorry to say but we think Agent McGee was killed in the blast. His body couldn't be recognized at sight. Second Gibbs had to be airlifted from the scene, and from what I gather he's in a bad way, At least two broken legs and one broken arm and that was just the injuries at first sight. Ducky went with him to Bethesda where agent Todd was taken also. She was lucky; she only has a mild concussion. I want you to take over Gibbs team until further notice is that clear Tony?" Morrow asked DiNozzo.

Tony took several deep breaths and said, "Sir, yes I will come in but first I'm going to swing by Bethesda and see how my teammates are doing then I will come to NCIS and we will start to figure out who is behind the bombing." He hung up the phone and went and changed into jeans and a blue button down shirt. Tony grabbed his gun and badge and raced out the door of his apartment.

Tony arrived at the hospital fifteen minutes later and went barging into the ER demanding to know where Gibbs and Kate were. When all of the nurses promptly ignored him he was about ready to bit their heads off but Ducky rounded the corner and saved him.

Ducky had heard Tony yelling at the nurses as he was walking back from the OR waiting room and decided to step in to keep from having Tony thrown out of the hospital. "Anthony my boy calm down, you won't get any answers yelling at these poor ladies."

Tony took several deep breaths to try and calm his temper and then said, "Sorry ladies I am just worried about my friends. Ducky can you tell me anything about how Kate and Gibbs are?"

Ducky sighed and said, "Kate has a mild concussion and will have to spend the night and then stay with someone for a couple of days to make sure it doesn't get worse. Gibbs on the other hand had to be rushed into the OR to set all of his broken bones. He also has a severe concussion and was in a coma when they prepped him for surgery. The doctors were going to do exploratory surgery because they thought that some of his organs could be bruised or perforated. Its bad Anthony, the doctors couldn't believe that he was still alive. With the concussion there is also a hairline fracture of the skull and some swelling of the brain. Since I am his next of kin I gave them permission to do a craniotomy. My boy I fear that at the very least for Gibbs his days as an agent are over."

Tony runs his hand through his hair and sighs, he then says, "I'm not going to be the one to tell him when he does wake up. Ducky could you tell what happened out there?"

"I'm sorry Anthony but I don't really know. Mr. Palmer and I were late getting to the scene and had just pulled up when the explosion went off. Then we set off down the hill to check on them. Mr. Palmer stopped next to Caitlin and surmised she probably just had a concussion because she was already coming around. I went and found Gibbs about fifteen feet from the car and was in bad shape so I didn't touch him except to check for a pulse. Jimmy then went and found what we believe to be poor Timothy's body about twenty feet from the car. I say believe because just by looking at the body you couldn't tell if it was him." Ducky told his tale to Tony.

Tony sighed again and said, "I would appreciate it if you could tell me which room is Kate's and also Ducky keep me up to date with Gibbs' condition."

"She's in room 307, I think she might be sleeping because she was given a mild sedative in the ER." Ducky answered Tony's question.

Tony walked off to find Kate's room with a heavy heart because he had lost his probie. Finally finding her room he walks in and she is indeed asleep and has a small bandage on her left temple. He walks over to her bed and sits down next to her taking her hand and says, "Katie you need to wake up for me. We were getting so close these past few weeks and I never even got to ask you out on a date yet. Just get better soon babe okay? I know you will try and blame yourself for this but from the sounds of things it looks like our team was targeted and I'm going to find out who it was and put them six feet under."

Little did Tony know that Kate was just faking sleeping because she was blaming herself just like Tony said but when he said that the team was targeted she opened her eyes and said, "Tony who would do this, I mean I know we put a lot of people in jail but to target us with a bomb that's going to the extreme. Oh god how is the others, Gibbs and McGee?"

Tony gave her hand a gentle squeeze and said, "Kate I have some bad news and worse news. First off Gibbs is in surgery right now to fix two broken legs and a broken arm and exploratory surgery to see if any of his organs are damage by the blast and most likely his field days are over according to Ducky. Kate Tim didn't make it; the blast probably killed him instantly. Ducky told me that he was unrecognizable from the blast. The thing we have to do next is be there for Abby. I'm going to see her in a minute and try and console her but I want you to do exactly what the doctors tell you because when you get out of here we are going to have a long talk."

Kate knew he was right because after he had gotten the plague she had basically taken care of him and they had become closer than just friends. She knew they had to talk about the future and what comes next, and to be truthful she was looking forward to it. Kate then thought about Abby and how she would react to McGee's death. Hopefully Tony would be the one that would tell her and could be there to comfort her. She could tell that Tony was saddened by Tim's death but he didn't want to show it on the outside and would either break down in private or with her so they could comfort each other.

At NCIS Tom Morrow was debating on whether or not to tell Miss Scuito about what had happened in the field this morning. Just as he was going to go down and inform her he received a text from DiNozzo that said, _I'll tell Abby._ Relieved he didn't have to break the bad news to the hyper Goth he put his phone down and decided that he needed to call in the FBI.

**Chapter 4: Telling Abby**

Tony had left the hospital to do the thing he dreaded the most about his job and that was telling loved ones about the death of someone close to them, but this time it was Abby.

Tony was ridding the elevator down and the closer he got to Abby's lab the more he could hear the heavy metal music that she loved so much. He stepped off of the elevator and walked into her lab and turned the music off. This caused her to whirl around and say, "Hey why'd you turn my music off?" Abby then saw the look on Tony's face, and immediately knew something was wrong.

Tony held up his hand and said, "Abby this morning when Gibbs, Kate and Tim went to the crime scene they found two men murdered in a red convertible mustang. What they didn't know was that the trunk was wired to a bomb under the car. Abby, Tim was the one who opened the trunk triggering the explosion. Abby I'm really sorry but he was killed instantly. Kate had started to move away from the car and only received a mild concussion. Gibbs on the other hand was blown away from the car and received two broken legs and a broken arm along with numerous internal injuries. His days as an agent are over." Tony then quickly walked across the room and engulfed Abby in one of her own 'Abby hugs' because by then she had started to have tears run down her face but was also in shock from this devastating news.

Abby didn't know what to think or do, she was just in a daze but then felt two large arms wrap around her and she broke down, sobbing into Tony's chest.

Tony knew this was going to be hard but he felt Abby had cried herself out and he leaned back and looked her in the eyes and said, "I will find who did this Abby, you can count on that. Now I know this is hard for you but do you want to come back to the hospital with me after I go and talk to the director?"

Abby nodded, but before Tony could leave she hugged him again and said something that was totally un-Abby like, she said, "Tony, I want you to find who did this to our family and put them in the ground."

Tony was so startled by this the only thing he could say was, "I will Abby." Tony then walked out of her lab, got onto the elevator, and headed up to see the director.

**A/N: I know this was short but I planned it that way**

**Chapter 5: Planning & Discoveries**

Tony walked off the back elevator that would lead him to the director's in a slight daze. Everything that he had known before that bomb went off and been turned upside down. His probie was dead, Gibbs was barely hanging on by a thread and Abby had been turned into a cold hearted person in a matter of moments. Stopping to take a few breaths to help him focus on the upcoming conversation Tony took a few moments to finally get his mind back on finding the person or persons responsible for this horrendous act against his surrogate family. The only person that came to mind was one Ari Haswari.

Finally ready for the confrontation that was coming he barged right into Morrow's office but what he saw was not what he was expecting. There leaning up against his desk was the director but his desk looked like it had been cleaned out because there were several boxes on the floor next to it. Tony looks confused, but just like Gibbs, he has develop his on 'gut feelings' and this own is telling him something major is about to happen. Tony finally asks, "What's going on sir?"

Morrow knows right now is not a good time for this but he had to do it sometime. "Agent DiNozzo, I have been offered a deputy director's posision over at homeland security and I have decided to take it, today was my last day here. My last act before leaving though was to appoint you as the new SSA of the MCRT team here at the Navy Yard. I also made sure that you get to pick your two new agents for your team. I know that Agent Todd will be back in a few days, but you need to fill those spots before the end of the week, or the new director will do it for you."

Tony was truly flabbergasted by what Morrow had just told him so he said, "Thank you sir but if you don't mind me asking but who is the new director going to be?"

Over in the corner a red head woman stood from her seat on the couch and said, "That would be me Agent DiNozzo, Jenny Shepard."

Morrow just smirked at the look on Tony's face and said, "Well _Director_, he's your problem now." Morrow then walked over to Jenny and shook her hand congratulating her once again and then left the office.

Tony finally got over his shock and said, "Director the reason I came here in the first place was because I wanted to talk about the bombing earlier this morning and what I was going to do about it."

"Agent DiNozzo do you have any ideas of who could have set that bomb and why they set it?" Jenny asked Tony.

Tony could tell right off the bat that she was going to be difficult, he then says, "Ma'am there is only one name that comes to mind, Ari Haswari. He has been after us for the past year, and in you haven't heard, first he breaks into autopsy and takes three hostages, including my partner, and shoots Ducky's ME asst. in the shoulder before he shot Gibbs also making his getaway. Then he takes Agent Todd hostage again, but do you want to know what he told her that time? He told her that we haven't heard the last of him. With all due respect director I'm going to take him down and put him where he belongs, six feet under."

Jenny wasn't one to be shocked about much but when she heard all that Ari had done in the past year she couldn't help the look that she had one her face. "Agent DiNozzo I realize he has done a lot to your team but to openly go after you and your team and try to kill everyone like that just seems, well ridiculous. What would be your next move if I let you run with this Agent DiNozzo?"

"Well ma'am the first thing that I am going to do it to fill out the two remaining spots on my team after Kate gets back from her hospital stay. Then I am going to call Fornell over at the FBI and milk him for every bit of information he has on Ari. You see ma'am him and Gibbs are best friends but only because they are so alike, share an ex-wife and nobody else wants to be friends with them."

Jenny just stared at Tony and was thinking that maybe Morrow was right and Tony would be a good SSA for the new MCRT. Jenny then said, "At first I didn't agree with Morrow's choices to put you in charge and let you pick your own team, but now after just this short period of time I see you will make a great team leader Agent DiNozzo."

Tony didn't know what to think now but he knew she had gotten off topic a little and said, "Thanks, but after I finish everything with the team, or what's left of it, I'm going after Ari and he's going to wish he was never born." Having said his peace, he turned on his heel and left to go get Abby, and see Kate at the hospital.

**Chapter 6: Good News and more Good News**

Tony had went and got Abby and then went to the hospital to see Kate and check up on Gibbs' condition. Abby hadn't said a word since he picked her up outside of the building and it was starting to worry him. Walking into Kate's room they heard some laughter and the unmistakable voice of Ducky telling one of his many stories to Kate. Tony said, "Must have been one hell of a joke. Ducky do you have any news on how Gibbs is doing?"

Ducky's smile immediately fell off of his face when Tony asked him about news on Gibbs' condition. He sighed and said, "Halfway through the surgery a Dr. Lee came out and briefed me on how things were going. She said that most of his organs are bruised do to the shockwave of the blast but also they had to remove his spleen because one of his ribs had broken and punctured it beyond repair. Another rib broke and perforated his left lung but that was repaired. He had two more broken ribs on the left side but thankfully there was no harm to any of his other organs. Those injuries he will recover from but his left and right leg as you know were broken in several places and his left knee has ligament damage. Most likely he walk with a limp if he walks again at all. The most serious injury though was not caused by the blast itself, it was caused apparently by a rock on the ground where he landed. His head came down on the rock and caused a severe skull fracture and swelling in his brain. They wanted my permission to do a craniotomy, which is when they remove a portion of your skull to relieve pressure on the brain, of course I gave it to them, and that's what is taking so long."

Tony was deeply saddened by this news and looked over to Kate and saw that she had silent tears running down her cheeks. Looking at Abby he saw that she had fallen into the empty chair and was sobbing uncontrollably.

Kate heard Ducky tell Tony all about Gibbs' injuries and couldn't help the silent tears falling down her face and then sees Abby sobbing in the chair by the door so she gets off the bed and walks over to Abby and engulfs her in a hug.

The two women sat there consoling each other for almost five minutes, Ducky had left to go home and check on his mother and get some rest. Tony finally noticed that Kate wasn't dressed in hospital garb anymore but a pair of blue jeans and sweater. "Kate I need to speak with you in private for a minute," Tony says to Kate.

Kate breaks away from Abby and then both her and Tony walk out of the room. "Tony what's this all about?"

Tony knew if he didn't talk to her about what they were now he probably never would. "Kate when I got the plague you stayed with me, which means a lot by the way thank you, and we got really close and I like things like that. What I'm trying to say is that I want to give us a shot at a real relationship Kate." Tony told her in a nervous way.

Kate couldn't believe that Tony wanted to try and have a relationship with her. She had been waiting for this day for a long time and her heart was about to burst with happiness. Instead of answering him she just threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with every ounce of passion she could muster.

Tony wasn't ready for the kiss but quickly recovered and kissed her back with every ounce of love he felt for this woman. Breaking the kiss due to the lack of oxygen Tony then said, "I take that as a yes then Katie."

Kate started to laugh and lightly smack his chest saying, "Of course it was a yes. Tony I know that we have gotten closer these past few weeks but I don't want to screw this up because of work."

Tony smiled and said, "That is the other reason I pulled you out here. I wanted to tell you congratulations on your promotion to Senior Field Agent. You see Katie while I was at NCIS earlier I spoke with Morrow, he's resigning to go to a deputy directorship at homeland, and as his last act as director of NCIS he promoted me to team leader of the MCRT. My first act as SSA is to promote you to SFA. My second act is we are going to have to fill in two spots on the team in a week's time or the new director will fill them for us. Then when we have a full team we can go after whoever did this."

Kate didn't know what to say, in the span of just a few minutes she had gotten a new boyfriend, and been promoted to Tony's old position as SFA. She couldn't be happier but her feeling soon disappeared, it was all bittersweet because she remembered how she had gotten the promotion. Still she was going to do the job to the best of her abilities.

Tony watched as the emotions flashed over Kate's face and was glad when the last one he saw was acceptance. "Katie I know it's a lot to take in but at the moment it's just you and me so will you be my SFA?" Tony asked in a cheeky way. Tony then noticed she was dressed in her own clothes again and said, "Wait, why are you not dressed in a hospital gown, I thought you had a concussion."

Kate laughed at this and said, "Tony I was discharged about an hour before you got here I was just staying here to wait on you. The doctor said it was mild and since they kept me overnight and the only thing I have left of it is a slight headache I could go home."

Tony smiled at this and put his arms around Kate and engulfed her in a hug, picked her up completely off the ground and twirled her around.

The whole time Kate was saying, "Tony put me down," but was laughing at the whole time.

Little did both of them know that they had an audience for most of the entire conversation? Abby had regain most of her composure about hearing Ducky explains how bad Gibbs' condition was and decided to go find Tony and Kate. Seeing Ducky just sit there in the chair looking off into space she said, "Ducky would you care to join me in the cafeteria for some tea?" She was worried about Ducky because she knew how close that Gibbs and him were, and she had noticed he hadn't been his chatty self since the bombing. She noticed he just nodded his head and so they got out of their chairs and walked to the door. She pulled up short when she heard Tony ask Kate if she wanted to give them a go at a relationship. She was just about to start squealing and jump up and down when she felt Ducky clamp a hand over her mouth. Abby calmed down a little then they heard Tony ask Kate if she would take his old spot as the SFA because he had been promoted to SSA. This was almost too much for Abby to take but when he said there was a new director but before Morrow left he had given Tony carte blanche in choosing his new team as long as it was done in a week's time. This was the last straw for her she wiggled out of Ducky's grasp and marched up to Tony and said, "Tony how could you do something like this McGee isn't even cold yet and Gibbs is in critical condition and you are already filling the spots on the team, just how could you."

Tony sighed and said, "Abby I'm sorry but the world doesn't stop moving just because something bad happens. I feel the same way but if I want the right people on the team I have to do it in a seven day time period. I do know that Gibbs wouldn't want us to just sit here and pine away for him, he would want us to get on with our lives however hard that will be and you know it."

It was Ducky that said something next, though Kate looked like she wanted to say something to, "Abigail, Anthony is right things must move forward, but this does not mean that we forget about our fallen comrades. He was also right about what Gibbs would want from us. I have known him far longer than anyone else so I think that gives me some insight into what his wishes would be."

Kate was next to speak up for Tony and said, "Abs I think it's great that I am now the SFA but I also hate that it also came with a price. It is bittersweet for me Abby but that doesn't mean I am going to just turn it down because of the circumstances that I got the promotion."

Abby sighed because she knew that they were all right and she had overreacted. She just was in a bad place right now with all that had happened the past few days. The others saw all of the tension leave her body and breathed a sigh of relief at this when Tony said, "Abby I know you want to be here for when Gibbs wakes up and all but that's not going to be for quite a while so why don't you head home, get some rest and food, then tomorrow me and Kate are going to be looking over personnel files to file the two empty slots and I need you to work on all the evidence that Balboa brought in from the crime scene."

Abby just nodded her head and walked down the hall with her head hung low and left to do as Tony suggested.

**Chapter 7: The First Night & Choosing **

All three of them watched as Abby left in a weary state when Kate said mostly to Ducky, "I think we should all take that advice and try to get some rest after what has happened recently."

Ducky knew that most of that was directed at him so he said, "Yes Caitlin that sounds like an excellent idea as long as we all follow suit."

"I second that motion, come on Kate I'll drive you home, and Duck man make sure you make it home also," Tony said in a stern voice.

Kate had followed Tony to his car and got in and were currently driving to Tony's apartment in companionable silence. Tony was thinking about how to proceed with Kate in their relationship and decided to just let things go at a natural pace.

Kate was staring out the window of Tony's car thinking along the same lines as Tony but she was also thinking that since he made the first move in wanting to start this relationship with her she would make the one that led to the next level.

Pulling up to Tony's apartment building he stopped the car and raced around it to the passenger side to help Kate out of the car.

Kate saw that Tony was trying to be a gentleman but said, "I can open my own doors Tony."

Tony responded by saying, "Yeah I know, but it makes me feel all manly inside so please don't rob me of this moment."

Kate just chuckled and took his hand as he helped her out of the car. They walked up to the second floor of the building and Tony pulled out his key and opened the door and allowed Kate to go in first.

When Kate walked in she was astounded by what she saw, the living room/dining room was huge with a brick fireplace built into the north wall. Further along the north wall towards the corner was an L shaped bar. It was made out of black leather and some sort of hard wood. Looking more towards the kitchen there was a cooking island on one side and looked to be the perfect chef's kitchen. Kate the noticed another room towards the back but couldn't see what was in there but then she did notice a set of stairs that led to a second story.

Tony had been following Kate's line of sight the who time and saw the emotions flash across her face but when she came to the stairs and saw the confusion he said, "They lead to the bedrooms and my office up there."

Kate then came to acceptance and then her eyes settled on the back room and she asked, "What's back in that room Tony?"

Tony chuckled a little and said, "What else, it's my entertainment room. Come on I'll show you." Taking Kate's hand he led her into the back room and Kate's jaw dropped. Tony chuckled again and said, "Ad you can see I have my very own home theatre system, including movie seats as you can see. My pride and joy though is this little baby." Tony had walked over to a black baby grand piano and had sat down on the bench, looked back over his shoulder and asked, "Any requests?"

Kate was dumbfounded; she didn't know Tony could play the piano. She walked over and sat next to him and said, "Do you know _I've got you under my skin_?"

Right off the bat Tony started to play it for her. She was so mystified by Tony's playing that she didn't realize it but she had put her head on his shoulder as he played. When he finished the song he looked down and noticed that she had fallen asleep right there on his shoulder. Tony just chuckled and carefully maneuvered her so he could carry her up to the master bedroom.

The next morning Kate woke up and the first thing she noticed was that she had had the best night's sleep in a very long time. The next thing she noticed was that she was lying with her head upon a very muscular, but hairy, male chest. Then everything came flooding back to her. This scared her a bit because she didn't think that she would be this comfortable with Tony right off the bat. The next thing she did was to make a mental note that she still had her clothes on and to her relief she had a pair of seats and a tee shirt she didn't recognize.

Tony had been awake for about twenty minutes and was just admiring Kate as she slept on his chest when he felt her stir a little and then she got very tense, but then relax back onto his chest which pleased him to no end.

Kate felt like she was being watched but then realized it was Tony she then lifted her head and smiled up at him and said in a cheeky way, "How did I get into a pair of your sweats and tee shirt?"

Tony was smiling at her but when she asked that question he started to blush but said, "When you fell asleep I carried you up here and put you in bed but soon it dawned on me that you still had all of your clothes on. I then took your clothes off, except you undergarments, and laid them in the chair over there by the window. Oh, by the way, I did happen to catch a glimpse of your tattoo."

When Tony mentioned her tattoo she blushed furiously and hoped he hadn't seen her as she turned her head away from him.

Kate didn't see it but Tony had seen her blush when she turned away and he said, "You know Katie I love it when you blush like that, it's just so adorable."

This made Kate blush even more and she tried to bury her face in the pillow. Tony had been trying to hold his laughter in but this was all he could take and started laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes.

Kate had recovered a little and rolled over and elbowed Tony in the stomach. Tony was so taken by surprise he rolled away from the blow and fell off the bed. This caused Kate to start laughing herself.

Tony sat there on the floor and looked at Kate with a surprised look that quickly changed into a smirk and then said, "Oh Katie you are going to pay for that."

Tony then scrambled up onto the bed to try and get Kate, but she rolled off the other side of the bed and ran out of the room saying over her shoulder, "You have to catch me first."

Tony jumped up off the floor and ran after her, but as the saying goes, 'he chased her until she let him catch her'.

That afternoon Tony and Kate went into NCIS to choose the two agents for their team. Tony had one thought about half way through the personnel files. "Kate I know that I'm team leader now and you are the SFA, but are you going to have any problems taking orders from me now that we are a couple?" This very subject could be touchy in the future thought Tony and he wanted to resolve it here and now.

Kate looked at Tony and said, "Tony you deserve to be team leader and I will follow your orders. I do propose that we make some sort of pact so that we will not destroy our relationship outside of work."

Tony thought about that and then said, "Okay, I think we should leave our problems at work here, and the ones about our private life at home."

Kate smiled and said, "That sounds like a good idea, now I think we had better get back to work on these personnel files so we can choose two new team mates."

It took most of the day but they had picked out 2 people that they thought would be a good fit with the team.

The first that they chose was a transfer from the DEA, his wife was in the Navy and had just been reassigned to the Navy Yard from San Diego and they didn't want to be apart unless she was assigned to sea duty. Tripp Williams was a computer expert that like McGee had graduated from MIT but he wasn't the nerdy person that Tim was. He also had a minor in forensic science, although he wasn't as good as Abby is, it would be useful in the field.

The second choice was a surprise if only because Kate was the one to choose her. Susan Kravitz was an ex-Seattle homicide detective that had 13 years of experience under her belt and had studied several forms of martial arts. She also had a 93% closure rate, which was highest in her dept. The reason she was here was because she had let a case get to her and almost beat the suspect to death. She said she would resign early if no charges were brought against her. It was Kate who said to Tony that everyone deserves a second chance and makes mistakes. Tony had agreed but told Kate that he would keep an eye on her and if she got out of line the first six months she was gone.

Having made their choices Tony and Kate walked up to see the new director, who Kate was excited to meet since it was a female director. Walking right into Jenny's office with Kate right behind him Tony said, "Ma'am here is the choices for the people we would like to fill in the two empty spots on our team."

Kate noticed that Tony had said 'our team' and smiled at that. Even though he was team leader he wanted her input on the important things. He had told her before they arrived at work that he was depending on her to call him on things that she thought he was doing wrong but not to disrespect him in front of the other members of the team.

Jenny looked at the two agents in front of her and right off the bat she could tell that there was more going on between them than just partners at work, but since there was no regulations against partners dating she let it slide. "Agent DiNozzo I trust you have made some wise choices in picking your new members."

"Yes director we picked a transfer from the DEA and a former detective from the Seattle PD, both have great backgrounds and hopefully will prove to be great agents on my team," Tony said. Then put the two files on Jenny's desk for her to sign off on.

Kate was the next to speak as Jenny was reading the files for their two choices saying, "Ma'am if you don't mind my asking but how is Gibbs doing?" Kate saw a dark but sad look come over Jenny's face when she asked and she thought it was might have been a mistake to ask.

Jenny felt all kinds of emotions go through her when Kate had asked her about Gibbs and the main one was regret. "They finally got him stable late last night and it looks as if he is improving little by little but they want to keep him in a medically induced coma because he would just be in too much pain at the moment if he woke up. They told Ducky that his body just needs time to heal. The swelling in his brain has gone down considerably but they still don't know what is going to happen when he wakes after they bring him out of the coma.

Tony sighed he knew that Kate just wanted to know how Gibbs was doing but he could also tell that this was a touchy subject for their new director so he said, "Ma'am if you don't mind me asking but has anyone called Mike Franks about this, because I know that he was Gibbs' mentor for when he join NIS all of those years ago and they were really close."

Jenny thought about it for a moment and said, "No I don't think so but I'll take care of it after finding out where I can reach him."

Tony knew that this was going to be one of those boss moments for him and Kate but he said to Kate, "Kate would you mind giving me and the director a few minutes and then we will go see how Abby is doing okay?"

Kate looked at Tony strangely and she also knew that this was one of those boss, SFA moment so she just nodded her head at Tony who had a look on his face that said, 'I'll tell you later' then walked out of the director's office.

Tony sighed and sat down in one of the chairs in front of Jenny's desk and said, "Ma'am what I'm about to say has to stay between the two of us. The real reason I brought up Franks was because he helped Gibbs get over his first wife, or at least tried to. See Gibbs has been married four times but has three ex-wives. His first wife and daughter were murdered by a drug lord while in protective custody of NIS. Franks was the agent that caught the case. I can see by the look on your face that you didn't know any of this. It's my understanding that we tried to find the suspect but even the Mexican government couldn't find him so we could at least try and extradite him back here. Ma'am Gibbs isn't the kind of man to just let something like that go, he would have tried to hunt him down and it's my belief that he succeeded and that's why the Mexicans couldn't find him, his name was Pedro Hernandez."

Jenny looked at him with complete shock, she knew Gibbs had three ex-wives but a fourth who was murdered that she didn't know about, and it just blew her mind because she thought she knew everything about Leroy Jethro Gibbs. The first thing she wanted to know was if anyone else knew besides Tony. The next was how he had gotten this information and finally, why was he telling her about this now.

Tony saw the many emotions flash across Jenny's face and knew exactly what she was going to ask so he beat her to it and said, "Ma'am, I don't think anyone here at NCIS knows about this, not even Ducky. I don't know why Gibbs kept it a secret all of these years but maybe it was just too painful of a memory. Maybe he wanted to keep it from us because of what happened to Pedro Hernandez. Remember he was a sniper in the Corp. I do think Franks had a hand in it somehow because according to my sources after questioning Gibbs he waited a few days and declared it a cold case. I checked on Gibbs' passport and he crossed the border one day after meeting with Franks. Two weeks later Gibbs turns up at the San Diego field office wanting to join NIS, and he did on Frank's team until Franks abruptly retired after the Khobar Towers incident. You are probably wondering where I got all of this information but director that is something I am going to have to keep to myself. I'm sure you have your sources that you wouldn't want me to know about so let's just leave it at that.

When Tony had laid it all out for her she knew he was right about everything and just sighed. She really didn't know what to do with this information but she did know he was probably right and that Franks should be called about Gibbs' condition. "Agent DiNozzo I don't know what you expect me to do with this new information but yes I will call Franks and tell him about Jethro. On another subject I am going to give you and Agent Todd a week off and when you come back you should be prepared to hunt down the son of a bitch that did this and by then your two new agents will be here are we clear?"

Without hesitation Tony said, "Crystal ma'am, but I do have one more thing to ask. What are we going to do if or when Franks gets here? You know he will want in on this investigation to try and find out who hurt Gibbs and killed McGee. Are we going to let him in or go cowboy on us, because that's what he is a lone wolf and he probably won't take to kindly to having a female director because he's also an old chauvinist."

Jenny had suspected as much and said, "You just let me worry about Franks until you get back."

Tony knew a dismissal when heard one so he turned and walked out of the office.

**Chapter 8: The First Day Back**

When Tony had come down from the director's office Kate had been sitting at her desk doing her after action report for the bombing incident and Tony walked right up to her desk just as she was finishing up. Tony then sat on the edge of her desk and said, "Come on Katie me and you have the week off as the director is going to take care of things here. I just thought that you and me could get away for a bit and try to get away from the stress we have right now and in the very near future. So why don't we head to Virginia beach or something?"

Kate was elated by this idea but she wanted to know what had gone down in the director's office so she said, "I'll go but you have to tell me what happened up there and I mean everything."

Tony just smiled his 1000 watt smile and said, "Kate I had every intention of telling you in the first place. Just remember to bring that bikini you wore while in the wet t-shirt contest."

Kate punched him in the arm hard and said in a seductive way, "Bikini, I wasn't planning on bringing any bikini's but now after you mentioned it I guess one can't hurt." Kate then slide by a very aroused Tony and headed to the elevator.

The week had gone by too fast for Kate and Tony. They had called both Abby and Ducky to let them know what they had planned and to also let them know if there was any changes in Gibbs' condition. Tony had told Ducky that Franks was most likely coming and that Jenny would take care of it. He also told both of them that they were to report back at NCIS for work when him and Kate returned.

They had a beautiful time at the beach and had made love for the first time and for both of them it was magical. They both did a lot of talking about long forgotten things from each other's past such as Tony being engaged once and how Kate went through one year of law school before changing majors. Tony told her how he wasn't the stupid person that he pretended to be because not only did he double major in PE but also criminology and a minor in music. He also told her he loved to learn new languages when he could. He only spoke four at the moment but was well on his way to learning his fifth. The ones he knew were, Italian, Spanish and English of course but the fourth surprised her it was ASL. He had told her he was tired of Gibbs and Abby having silent conversations about him while he was still in the room. The one he was almost finished with was Hebrew. He told her that as soon as the whole mess with Ari started he just had a gut feeling it would come in handy in the future. He also told Kate that after he finished with Hebrew he was going to try and learn Arabic. Kate had told him that she had once had a very serious boyfriend in college and they were close to getting married but Kate had a pregnancy scared and he had dumped her. She told him that it was the captain of the baseball team at Indiana State and that's why she hated jocks so much.

Kate and Tony got off the elevator at 7:30 am and walked into the bullpen to find that both new members of their team were there waiting on them. This surprised them both because they wanted to get there early to try and talk about the upcoming case.

Tony went into the middle of the bull pen and said, "All right, my name is Anthony DiNozzo but I prefer Tony, I'm your SSA and this here is Kate Todd she's your SFA. You Williams will sit over there." Pointing to the desk that McGee had previously occupied. "Kravitz yours is over there." Tony pointed at the desk Kate used to sit at. Both Tony and Kate had agreed that it was best if the changed things up, so she was taking Tony's old desk and he was taking Gibbs'.

Both Agents moved to their respective places but Tony kept on talking saying, "All right, we know that both of you have had some experience in law enforcement but here things are going to be a little different. See both Kate and I here are pretty informal about some things but others are to be followed to the letter. Now the first thing is we have some rules that aren't in the handbook and we expect you to follow them as best as you can. These rules are not written down anywhere but it's our job to teach them to you. Kate do you have anything you would like to add?"

Kate looked at him and thought about the many conversations they had about how things were going to happen when they got back. Tony had basically covered everything in his short little speech to the probies as Tony liked to call them. The one thing that she did want to happen though was that she definitely wanted Tony to drop the frat boy, jock/playboy act and just be himself. "No Tony I think you have covered it pretty good," Kate answered.

Tony knew what he wanted to do next so he went over to his desk and pulled out two files and handed one to both Susan and one to Tripp and said, "You have fifteen minutes to get settled in and then meet us in conference room A, we will be getting to know each other, then jumping in feet first for our first case." Then he led Kate out of the bull pen towards the conference room.

While putting their thing away Susan said, "Well what do you think of our new bosses so far?"

Tripp thought for a second and then said, "They both seemed very capable about their jobs. I did a little checking into the both of them and found a lot of interesting stuff on the both of them. He used to be a cop in three different cities before coming here. He was one of the youngest to ever receive his old shield as a homicide detective. He also brought down a Philly mob family single handedly after being undercover for 18 months and I heard that they were grooming him to be the next Don. He's been here for almost four years all under Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I heard that he was only agent that was ever recruited by Gibbs. That's got to count for something right?"

Susan then put her two cents in and said, "Yeah it does, I looked into them also, she used to belong to the Secret Service and protect the president before coming here and I think she's been here for close to 2 years."

Little did both of them know that their fifteen minutes were up ten minutes ago and both Kate and Tony were standing in the shadows listening to the tail end of their conversation. Tony decided he would pull a Gibbs and walked into the bull pen saying in an irritated tone, "If you are done comparing notes on the two of us I suggest you get your asses to the conference room now."

Both Williams and Kravitz both about jumped out of their skin when Tony made his presence known. Kate followed a few steps behind scaring them a second time when she said, "Now people."

Both agents grabbed their case files and hurried off to the conference room like their asses were on fire.

Tony looked at Kate and said, "I totally get why Gibbs did that all the time. It is a blast I can't wait to do it again."

Kate chuckled and said, "Yeah it is kind of fun, come on we have probies to terrify."

**Chapter 9: Putting Things Together**

Walking into the conference room Tony went and sat on one side of the table next to where Kate had sat down and said, "Okay, this first case is one that happened about ten days ago. This case is personal for both of use but we insisted on working the case ourselves. It involves the bombing that claimed the life of one of your predecessor's and ended the career of another. The man we think behind it is named Ari Haswari. He has been causing trouble for NCIS for some time now. First he broke into the morgue and held our ME and asst. and Agent Todd here hostage. He also kidnapped Agent Todd on another occasion and claimed he was a Mossad operative undercover in Hamas. The people over at the Hoover building swear up and down he is legit, but from past experiences we know differently. He told Kate here that we hadn't seen the last of him. I wasn't present when the bombing took place because I was recovering from the plague. The bombing pretty much destroyed any physical evidence at the scene but the crime scene photos were salvaged and one that gets me is that one of the victim's hands was cut off. Both of these men were pilots of UAVs so we think his hand was taken to get into the complex where drones are being constructed and might try to steal one."

Kate picked up from there and said, "We also know that he has a crush on me because of the two times I was held captive by him. Both times he made passes at me and tried to seduce me. We did some digging and found out that he has a half sister whose name is Ziva David. This is where it gets interesting because she is part of the infamous Kidon unit, and supposedly the best of them all. His father as it turns out is the deputy director of Mossad, Eli David so if Ari was to turn traitor then he would have a lot of egg on his face.

Williams had been reading while Tony and Kate had given them a brief rundown of the history between this team prior to him joining them. He did have one question though and said, "What makes you so sure that it's him that set up the bombing?"

Kate and Tony shared a brief glance at each other before Tony said, "The day after the bombing a bouquet of red lilies was delivered to Agent Todd's home with a letter that read 'Sorry for your lose of Agent McGee and Gibbs' career being over'. Even though the press hadn't been notified about the bombing yet he knew what had happened to the both of them and that could only mean he planted the bomb himself."

"Even though he is supposedly a Mossad trained operative he still needs to be brought to justice. Susan you seem awfully quiet over there, do you have something to add?" Kate asked.

Susan sighed and said, "I know Ziva David personally, she had a mission in Seattle and got careless and was caught by the police for the murder of a known drug lord. I caught the case, but right off the bat I could tell she did it but she later told me that he was an up and coming Drug King Pin and wanted to make a deal with the Taliban that allowed him to bring arms into the USA via his dug pipeline. We seemed to hit it off right off the bat and because quick friends so I swept the whole thing under the rug, she walked. If Ari is the perpetrator then he is doing it without the knowledge of her."

"Do you think we could somehow use her to find Ari? I mean if they are as close as you say then she should be able to lead us right to him," Kate said.

Tony sat there thinking about what was going to happen next and everything kept going back to the missing hand from one of the victims. He finally said, "I think we need to put catching Ari on the back burner because I more worried about him building a UAV and using it here at the Navy Yard. When we stop that then we will see where we go from there.

Kate looked at him with murder in her eyes but it quickly vanished because she realized he was right, she didn't like it but he was right. This had turned personal for her when Ari had dared her to try and kill him down in autopsy, everything just sort of steamrolled from there. Kate also knew that the first priority was to stop Ari from a huge terrorist attack using a drone.

Tony watched Kate as several emotions passed her face, from angry to acceptance, but he knew that in the end she would do the right thing, stop Ari from committing a terrorist act. Tony's mind was in overdrive with this little tid bit of information Susan had thrown out there on the table. Another thing he had noticed was that despite his initial question Tripp had stayed quiet through the whole conversation. "Williams you've been really quiet, is there anything that you want to share with the class?"

Tripp sighed and said, "It might not be anything but the 11th amphibious assault ship and escorts are coming into port after six months in the med. It would be a good target for Ari."

**A/N: Just made up the number for the ship**

Tony's mind was reeling; he knew that it wouldn't be the ship Ari would go after it would be all of the families that were on the dock waiting for their loved ones to return. He then said, "Guys, he's right, but I don't think it will be the ship he's going after, it will probably be all of the families on the docks. It will be loaded with people, and with a drone he could guide it there with pinpoint precision. He would have to be nearby to control the drone because if most of the drones aren't fitted with ordinance until they get to their destination. If you were to say fill it with C-4 then you have a poor man's cruise missile, I'll be back I have to inform the director." Tony then jumped up out of his seat and ran to the director's office.

**Chapter 10: Apprehension** **of a Red Handed Terrorist **

The team had two days to try and find Ari before he was to launch his missile. Tony had told the director and she had promptly had the ship slow down so that it would take another day for them to reach port. It was the best that she could do on such short notice. Their big break came from an unlikely source, the man that had the small pox disease from back when Kate, Ducky and Gerald had been held hostage. They had went over his financials and realized the company he worked for had leased a warehouse for storage down by the docks. Tony knew this was it, if they could get Ari they would be getting rid of a giant thorn in their side. Tony didn't know this but Kate had no intention of bringing Ari back alive after what he had done to their team and her in particular.

Their plan was simple; they were going into the building with a Tac-team in the two different doors. Tony took Susan and they were going in the front door and Kate had Tripp with her at the rear entrance.

Tony gave the signal to enter and that moment both teams threw flash bang grenades into the warehouse and followed after they went off. Tony was the first through the door taking down two terrorists in the process. Susan followed him and spotted a figure move behind a stack of crates and fired of two rounds both missed but it kept the person pinned down which was her intention. Tony heard her fire and turned to see what she shot at and she help up 1 finger and pointed towards the crate. Just then they heard automatic gunfire come from the rear of the building. Tony froze for a moment worried about Kate but knew she could do her job so he quickly snapped out of it and motioned for Susan to take one side of the crates as he took the other.

Kate had Tripp go in first and she followed and as soon as he had announce that they were there by yelling NCIS the whole room erupted in gun fire. From her count there were at least five of them with AK-47s. She started to fire toward one of the men cowering behind some barrels as he reloaded his rifle. The Tac-team had made it in and was returning the fire with the terrorists. Kate then saw that Tripp was on the ground holding his chest because one of the terrorists had scored a hit on his Kevlar vest. Keying her mike she said, "We've got a man down but not serious." Kate then heard the unmistakable sound of a SIG being fired and knew that if it was Tony that his target was out of commission.

Ari couldn't believe this was happening, he thought that by planting the bomb in the car of the navy pilots that it would put Gibbs' team out of commission, but here they were raiding the warehouse that he had the stole target drone he was using as a missile. He started moving towards the roof when he caught sight of Agent DiNozzo take down two of his men. Ducking behind some crates that shielded the stairwell to the roof he realized that he had severely underestimated him. Ari didn't like to be proved wrong but when he was he admitted it. Racing up the steps that led to the roof Ari ran toward where the missile rested in its launcher and knelt down next to the controller prepared to fire it.

Tony was sure it was Ari that ran behind the crates and made up his mind that he was going to follow him. He signaled Susan, who had also seen Ari run behind the crates, to give him covering fire so he could go after Ari. As soon as Kravitz started firing Tony made a dash towards the crates barely making it without being riddled with machine gun fire. Reloading his SIG, Tony sprinted up the stairs but still being cautious as he slowly peeked around the door and saw Ari standing over a computer with a joystick and the target drone just about to launch.

Ari had just finished the pre-flight check when he heard more gun fire coming from just down the stairs and knew he had to hurry up if he was going to launch the drone.

Tony saw that Ari had laid aside a sniper rifle and was desperately trying to launch the drone so he stepped out onto the roof and said, "Federal agent, put your hands where I can see them and step away from the console Ari!"

Ari knew that all he had to do to launch the drone was to press one button so he had to buy just a little time so he said, "Ah, Agent DiNozzo I truly underestimated you when I had my sister do the dossiers on your team."

Tony could see that Ari was buying time so he said, "I want to kill you where you stand but that would make me no better than you. So if you move your hand one more inch towards the console I'll just make sure you are a cripple for the rest of your life."

Ari looked into Tony's eyes and could see that he meant every word he said. For the first time in a very long time Ari was truly frightened. He then said, "Here I thought that Gibbs was the one with the brains on your team but you have proved to be a worthy opponent. I knew I should have picked another agency but Gibbs just had the misfortune of reminding me of my father."

Tony stayed focused but laughed and said, "Oh so now we are blaming everything on the parents now. Ari I'm tired of this and it isn't a game that you think this is so put your hands on your head now, I'm not going to tell you again."

The gun fire from the warehouse had been dying down and Ari knew if he was to launch his drone he would have to do it now. He heard someone coming up the stairs and so did Tony which drew his attention away from Ari for a split second which allowed Ari to press the button that would launch the drone.

Seeing that it was Kate coming up the steps Tony heard the roar of the homemade missle as it was launch from its cradle. Thinking fast Tony fired two quick shots at Ari as he tried to turn and run from behind the console but both hit him squarely in the left knee cap shattering it.

Kate came running up the stair and saw that Ari had just launched the drone and then saw Tony fire two shots rapidly hitting Ari in the knee taking him down. She then rushed over to him handcuffing him and leaving him there. She then rushed over to Tony who was trying to figure out what to do about the drone that was in flight but all the words on the console were in Arabic.

After shooting Ari, Tony ran to the console and saw that all of the wording was in a foreign language, Arabic he presumed. Looking at Kate, who had just joined him at his side, he said, "Fuck it." Then proceeded to empty his clip into the flight console. Both Tony and Kate watch as the drone crashed into the harbor.

**Chapter 11: Interrogation and Some Surprises**

Tony had called for a couple of ambulances, one for Tripp and one for Ari; he also had called the director to advise her that Ari had been apprehended. Tony then called Ducky and Palmer to come and get the bodies of the dead terrorists. He then had an idea about what to do with Ari because he felt that just putting him in a regular hospital would be too dangerous for all of the other patients there. Tony then called the director back to see if she could get a spot on the USS Nightingale, a hospital ship that was ready to head to sea in a week's time. Jenny did in fact secure it for him and also set up MP guards 24/7.

It had taken all of them 5 days to sift through all of the identities of the dead terrorists at the warehouse and even more time to back trace Ari's. They had found out that his father wasn't Benjamin Weinstein but in fact was the deputy director of Mossad, Eli David. They already knew about his sister, Ziva David, but they found out that about 4 months ago he had lost another sister, Tali David, in a bombing in a market in Tel Aviv.

On the fifth day they got word that Ari was good enough to begin questioning him about the events in the past month, so they had him transported to NCIS where it would be taking place.

Tony and Kate had unofficially moved into Tony's loft and were going strong but they knew that before they could officially move forward they would have to put this whole Ari debacle behind them.

Tripp was lucky after the shoot out at the warehouse, even though he took a bullet to the chest he only ended up with two severely bruised ribs. The other good news for him was he and his wife had found out she was pregnant and therefore she was going to ask for a medical discharge because her time would be up when she would be seven months pregnant.

After word had gotten spread around about Ari being captured Susan had several offers to join other teams but had turned them down because for once she felt like she belonged.

Tony and Kate walked into the bull pen and noticed that Tripp and Susan were both already there but they seemed to be waiting on the two of them because they both knew that Ari had been in the interrogation room for close to an hour and they wanted watch.

Tony looked at both of them and sighed, he then said, "Alright, let's get this show on the road." He then grabbed the file on Ari off his desk and walked towards the interrogation room with all three of them following him.

Tony stopped just outside the door, took a deep breath and then busted into the room like he owned the place.

Ari was sitting on a chair with both hands shackled to his waist and his good leg was to. He was extremely pissed, not because he was sitting there waiting but because he had been caught by what he considered Tony to be a playboy/jock.

Just then the door flew open and DiNozzo strode in and threw a file on the table and leaned over it and got right in Ari's face and said, "It doesn't matter what you tell me now because we have you dead to rights for committing terrorism and are going to Gitmo when I am done with you in here." Tony then leaned back and sat down in the chair across from Ari and pulled a Gibbs by just staring at him and not even blinking.

After hearing what Agent DiNozzo had just said Ari again was frightened a little and this pissed him off again because he prided himself on being a fearless man? Looking into the bark green eyes of Agent DiNozzo as he just stared at him unnerved him a little, he was trying to think of a way out of this but came up with zero but decided to play the Mossad card. "Agent DiNozzo I don't think that you can do that because I am an Officer for Mossad and you don't want to ruin the relationship between our two countries do you?"

Hearing Ari say this he busted out laughing and then said, "Is that the best you can do Ari try to play the Mossad card. Jesus I thought you guys were supposed to be smarter and more deadly than this." Tony reached into the folder and pulled out a sheet of paper that had the Star of David as a letter head and Tony showed it to Ari and said, "This is a form straight from the Director of Mossad stating that we have every right to prosecute you to the fullest of our laws."

Ari paled at this bit of information then said, "I don't believe you." Even though he despised his father he was counting on him getting him out of this. Eli had trained him since his birth to be a mole in Hamas. His only hope now was that his sister could help in some way.

Tony had his shit eating grin and knew that Ari was cracking and fast, he also saw the look of fear that passed over his face when Tony pulled out the form that he had gotten the day before. "Ari I know just about everything there is to know about you now, so why don't we just make this easy on the both of us and you tell me everything. See we have you red handed with the missile incident. Then there is the thing about the bombing that killed a good friend of mine and ruined Gibbs' career. I know that you feel all high and mighty for that but our forensic scientist traced back the C-4 to your so called terrorist group. It was bought from the Russians off the black market. Now just tell me why you did that."

Ari saw that he was backed into the corner so he said, "There were several reasons I did it. The first was to get rid of the evidence of the murder of the sailors. The second of course you already know was to try and get your team out of the picture. Last was just pure satisfaction on my part."

Just as Ari had finished the interrogation room door burst open and Tobias Fornell came in and said, "Not another word by you," he said pointing to Ari then continued. "DiNozzo this is my man and asset so I am taking him back to the Hoover building."

Tony was getting angry listening to Ari confess to the reasons why he killed McGee and maimed Gibbs but why Fornell came in to the room and tried to throw his weight around he lost it. Jumping up out of his chair Tony walked over to Fornell getting right up in his face and said, "You will take him over my dead body. We have him dead to rights on committing acts of terrorism and murder of a federal agent so you will take him nowhere! I don't care if you are trying to cover your ass because he was under the FBI's watchful care and yours specifically. You are not going to just barge in here and try to take over Fornell he's mine so take your fat ass and get the hell out of my building!" Tony had tried to keep it civil but the more he said the more angry he got because it was the FBI that thought they had the holy grail of all moles in Ari and totally dropped the ball.

Tobias couldn't believe what had just happened, he was used to Gibbs and his way of doing things not DiNozzo, so when he told him to get the hell out he couldn't believe what he was hearing. He huffed and said, "Your director will hear about this."

Before he could do or say anything else Jenny calmly walked into the room and said, "She already has Agent Fornell. I don't think that your services will be required anymore and speaking of director's I will make sure yours will know what has transpired here today."

Fornell looked like he was going to explode because his face had turned beet red, he just huffed again and spun on his heel and stormed out the door. Just before exiting though he said, over his shoulder, "This isn't the end of this."

Ari was still seated at the table watching the confrontation going on between the FBI agent and the two here at NCIS. He thought that it was funny that they would be fighting over him; maybe there was hope left after all.

Kate, Tripp and Susan all watched the whole thing go down in front of them through the observation room window, and they were all three impressed with Tony and the director.

When Jenny had gauged that Fornell was out of earshot she said, "You better have an iron clad case against him if we are going to take on the FBI."

Tony had calmed down a little bit and motioned for Jenny to come out in the hall with him because he didn't want Ari hearing anymore of their conversation then he said, "After what he's done to this team and NCIS, it would take an army of agents from the Federal Bureau of Idiots to take custody of him. I mean this whole mess was started by them trust that Asshole in the first place and look what happened. Now that we did clean up after them they are doing what the FBI does best and that's swoop in and take credit for everybody else's success. I'm just sick and tired of it. They did it whenever our paths crossed when Gibbs was here and they are doing it again. This time though it's because they don't want to look like idiots and want to sweep everything under the rug."

Kate had left observation and walked out into the hall and heard every word that Tony had said about Fornell and the FBI so she said, "Director I have to agree with Tony on this one because after Ari kidnapped Ducky, Gerald and myself down in autopsy we argued that he was a bad apple. We know how that turned out right, Gerald has a permanent disability now from the bullet to the socket of his left shoulder. Gibbs also ended up with a bullet to the shoulder but less severe. Then he kidnapped me a second time and killed one of his group, a woman, right in front of me just to prove a point. Now the bombing that killed McGee and probably crippled Gibbs and the whole missile thing. We gave them ample warnings about Ari and they basically told us to go fuck ourselves and it blew up in their faces, and now they are covering the whole thing up. We should call ZNN and take the whole thing to the media just to teach them a lesson."

Kate had gotten angrier with every word she said and now was breathing heavy. Tony reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down but to tell the truth he was just as mad but had a better mask on than she did.

Jenny watched as the two agents made their case for basically telling the FBI to fuck off, and by both of their explanations it sounded like they had hit the nail on the head. In other words the fibbies had screwed the proverbial pooch and now that she had a dead agent and one whose career was over she was going to make them pay. She had always been going to do that but wanted to see if her top two agents had the balls to stand up for what they believed in and was happy with the outcome. "Tony, Kate I think that you are right but what are we going to do about this problem to make sure that they do pay?"

It was Tony who spoke up first saying, "Ma'am I have an idea but we need to work fast if we are going to get this done right. The other thing is it probably means no more undercover work for either myself or Kate anytime in the future. I think we should follow through with Kate's idea to tell the media but with a few twists. See if we call a press conference and just not hold back and tell the truth during Q&A session of it then several things will happen. If we give up Ari as the terrorist that fired the missile and set the car bomb then it forces the FBI to acknowledge the truth of what happened. It will also force Israel to either disavow him and say he is a rogue or protect him and try to get him back to Israel. We can't let Eli David dictate it though because he is Ari's father. If all three of us answer their questions then we will be done in the world of undercover jobs though."

Kate liked this idea because she wasn't one for doing undercover work in the first place. Plus it would make those jerks over at the Hoover building take responsibility for their actions or in this case their inactions. Kate voiced her opinion to Jenny next saying, "Director I'm going to second Tony's idea because I feel it will force what the FBI did into the spot light and show that they aren't some perfect agency everyone thinks they are."

Jenny usually didn't like the press but this time using it as a tool to make sure that justice would be done seemed like a good idea. She then said to her best agents, "I'll call a press conference for one o'clock today so you better have all of your facts straight when the time comes."

**Chapter 12: Introductions and the Press Conference **

Kate and Tony walked back to the bull pen with Susan and Tripp following right behind them. When they got there they noticed that there was a beautiful woman with black hair sitting at Tony's desk.

Tony and Kate recognized he right away and just motioned for Susan and Tripp to take their seats. Tony walked over to his desk and said, "Do you mind getting out of my seat Ms. David." Tony and Kate both saw the startled look flash across her face when Tony revealed her name but then quickly masked it over.

Ziva then said to Tony, "I am here to see Agent Gibbs, and stop him from killing an innocent man."

Tony looked at all three of his teammates and they all burst out laughing. Tony then said, "Lady you need to catch up with times, Gibbs doesn't work here anymore because he was critically injured in a bomb blast." Tony then looked over at Kate and said, "That reminds me we should go to the hospital and see how he's doing after everything this afternoon."

Kate was following Tony's thinking by just ignoring the young Mossad officer standing next to them. "That's a good idea Tony I think we should take Abby with us. Oh I hate to say this but Ducky took an undetermined amount of vacation so he could be with Gibbs," Kate said to Tony.

Ziva was slowly losing her cool because she did not like to be ignored and knew that Ari's life was on the line so she said rather snottily, "Excuse me but who is in charge if Agent Gibbs is injured, because I need to talk with him?"

Tony looked back at Ziva and now he had a serious look on his face and said, "Ms. David I am the one in charge and I would wish you luck but I want the bastard dead also. I would also like to point out that we have no intention of killing him because we already apprehended him almost a week ago. We have him in lock up right at this moment. As for ruining his life, well I think he did a good job of that on his own since he has confessed to murder and terrorism. Now if there isn't anything else I suggest that you take your high and mighty actions and leave before something really bad happens."

In the next moment, as Tony and Ziva were staring each other down, Jenny walked into the bull pen. She saw Tony in a staring contest with another woman but when she got closer she knew who it was. "Shalom Ziva, it's good to see you here." She walked over to Ziva and they embraced and kissed each other's cheeks. Jenny then stepped back and asked, "I'm glad to see you Ziva but what are you doing here?"

Ziva sighed and then said, "I was sent to try and get Ari out of here safely but it appears that I was too late."

"Yes I'm sorry Ziva but we have him in custody for terrorism and murder." Jenny said sadly.

It was Kate who then stepped forward and said, "I hate to break it to you Ms. David but you are going to have to tell your father that you failed in your mission just like Mossad did in 73 in Norway."

Ziva lost her temper then and got right up in Kate's face and said in an elevated tone, "That mistake cost us dearly."

Tony then snorted and said, "Not as much as the Moroccan waiter was that you murdered."

Jenny could see that this was just getting worse so she said, "Ziva why don't you come back tomorrow and I think by then everything will have sorted itself out."

Ziva knew something was going on but just looked at each of the agents, huffed and stormed off to the elevator.

Tony then said, "Well that was a great first impression. Jenny how do you know her anyway?"

Jenny just sighed sadly and said, "I worked with her in Cairo a few years back. She saved my life, and now this is how I repay her."

Kate stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on Jenny's shoulder and said, "This isn't your fault, Ari made his bed and now he has to lie in it."

Jenny knew that Kate was right so she said, "The press conference is all scheduled, and it begins at 1 o'clock so just make sure you have all your facts you two." Jenny then turned and walked off towards her office.

It was ten minutes to one when Jenny came down from her office and said, "All right let's get this show on the road. I think that the press room is completely full with everyone that is going to show."

Tony stood up as did Kate but Tony stopped abruptly, pulled out his cell and started dialing a number. "Just wanted to give the FBI a heads up so they could watch the press conference and realized what is happening. Hello, Tobias I just wanted to tell you to watch ZNN shortly so you can see what is going on." With that Tony hung up on him and said, "Let's get this over with."

Walking into the press room first was Jenny and the Tony and Kate followed her with Kate standing off to Jenny's left and Tony to her right as they reached the podium. Jenny began by saying, "I want to thank you all for coming here today but I want to go ahead and get started. Six days ago there was a homemade missile fired from atop a warehouse not far from where there were ships docking that were returning from their time at sea. We were able to crash the missile into the harbor before any harm could befall anyone. Now I am going to turn things over to the Senior Special Agent that was in charge of taking down the terrorist that committed this atrocity. Here is Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo." Jenny then stepped aside and allowed Tony to come to the podium.

"Thank you everyone, let me begin by saying that this is not the first time that NCIS has dealt with this certain person and his cell. The first time was last year when he broke into our autopsy because he wanted to steal certain evidence and in the process shot my former boss Leroy Jethro Gibbs and seriously wounded the ME's asst. The terrorists name is Ari Haswari; if you will look to the plasma you can see a picture of him. He is a part of the Israeli intelligence group Mossad. We were told by the FBI that he was a mole inside of Hamas but that isn't quite true. We later encountered him when he kidnapped Special Agent Kate Todd here to my left. We told the FBI over and over that he was playing them like a fiddle but they didn't listen. Because of this we lost one of our own and another is in serious condition and won't return to work because of the severity of his injuries. Now if you have any questions we will answer them to the best of our knowledge."

Tony, Kate and Jenny all answered questions for the next half hour then told the reporters that they were concluding the press conference and then left the room.

**Chapter 13: Fallout**

Tony and Kate left the press conference to go and visit Gibbs in the hospital and gave Susan and Tripp the rest of the day off. Jenny stayed at NCIS because she had paperwork that needed to be done about the transfer of Ari to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Kate had noticed that Tony had been quiet for most of the ride to Bethesda and was worried something was wrong and said, "Tony you are awful quiet over there do you want to tell me what you are thinking?"

Tony snapped out of his heavy thinking and said, "Something is not right about this whole thing with Ari. I think that maybe his father or sister will try and break him out during the transfer from NCIS to the plane waiting to take him to Gitmo. I think we should throw a red herring into the mix and transfer him at a later date but put someone that looks similar to him on the transport and set a trap."

"Tony if you are right then we should let director Shepard know about it because he is scheduled to be moved this afternoon." Kate told Tony.

Just as they pulled into the parking lot at the hospital Tony pulled out his cell and dialed the director. "Hello director I think there is going to be a rescue attempt on Ari this afternoon and I want to put someone as a double in his place so we can set a trap and then while this is going down we can sneak him out at a later date," Tony told the director.

Jenny listened and even though Tony had no proof on the matter she had grown to trust his gut feelings in just the short period of time that she had known him. The whole ordeal sounded like a good idea and even if he was wrong they would only lose a couple of hours of time sending Ari to Gitmo. "Agent DiNozzo I trust you on this, I know just the agent to replace Ari when his original transfer was to happen. We will dress you and Agent Williams up as Marines and stick you in the back of a deuce and a half with other real marines and I want you prepared for anything. Agent Todd and Kravitz can wait an hour after you have left and will then escort Ari to Pax River Air Base where he will be met with the original team that will then transfer him to Guantanamo Bay, is that clear Agent DiNozzo?"

Tony replied instantly saying, "Crystal Ma'am, but I would like to add something if you don't mind. If they do hit the transport it's going to be intense, so I suggest that we set up Humvees with armed marines at intervals along the way to the airport."

Jenny smiled at this because it showed that Tony was doing a good job as SSA of the MCRT. She had had her doubts in the beginning but Tony had showed her over and over again that he was the man for the job. She then said, "If you think it will help with the stopping of the ill fated rescue that t might take place then yes it sounds reasonable."

Kate had been listening to the conversation between her boyfriend and the director and didn't like what she heard so she said, "I don't like it, if what you say is true then there is a good chance that you…and Tripp will get hurt. There won't be much room to maneuver around in the back of that truck and even if you did have extra marines at certain intervals to back you up it's still highly dangerous."

Before anyone could say another word they heard Jenny's cell phone go off and she then said, "It's the director of the FBI, I need to take this. Agent DiNozzo make this happen and quickly." Jenny then disconnected the call.

Kate was in a bad mood now that she knew what was going to happen and just gave Tony the silent treatment.

Tony had stepped off to the side of the building as he had some phone calls to make for the preparations of the prisoner transfer. He did notice that Kate had just stalked off to go and check up on Gibbs alone. He could actually see it from her side but their job was a dangerous one day in and day out so he just let her go.

Kate walked into Gibbs room in the ICU ward and saw that Ducky was taking a nap one of the chairs in the room. First she walked over to where Gibbs was laying on the bed and took his hand on his un-injured arm and said, "Gibbs you have to get better because we need you to come back. Not for work but we need you just as a person and mentor. Tony is doing a really good job as SSA and I got promoted to be his Senior Field Agent and like it a lot. I never did realize how much paperwork there was because Tony made it look so easy. You really did train him well. Abby misses you a lot also and I think she is a little depressed because of McGee. You need to wake up Gibbs; I only have one more thing to say. We caught Ari Gibbs so you can relax about him. Gibbs we have a new director her name is Jennifer Shepard. Well Gibbs I have to go and yell at Tony and maybe even give him a head slap for you so I'll see you later Gibbs." She squeezed his and then got up and walked out the door.

Tony had finished making the preparations for the prisoner transport and went up to Gibbs room but he heard Kate talking and decided to wait out in the hall and not interrupt her. Even though he heard most of the short conversation he left to get a cup of coffee at the nurse's station just before Kate left Gibbs' room.

**Chapter 14: The Old Switcheroo **

Tony and Kate were driving back to NCIS and both were thinking heavily about recent events. Kate was worried about the upcoming confrontation that Tony would be in if he was right about someone wanting to break Ari out of their custody. Tony was thinking about him and Kate and where they were going with their relationship.

About half way there Tony finally breaks the silence and says, "Kate, are you having second thoughts about us being together in a relationship?"

Kate was taken aback by Tony's question and you could see the surprise on her face. She then said, "No Tony, I have no regrets about us being together, in fact being with you has been a lot easier than I was with some of my other boyfriends before you." Kate took a deep breath and then continued saying, "Tony to tell you the truth I think I am falling in love with you."

This was all the confirmation Tony needed and says, "Me to Kate, me to. I know there is a difference in being in love with someone and loving someone. When we first started this I think we both loved each other, but now that things have moved on I think we are in love with each other."

Kate thought about what Tony had just said and she had to agree with him. She then said, "That's the reason why I am worried about you being in that truck. I don't want anything to happen to you because I am in love with you and don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me Katie, I'll take extra precautions if it makes you feel better", Tony said to Kate.

Walking into the bull pen they noticed that each one had a bunch of gear setting on top of their desks and director Shepard standing there waiting for them. Jenny then said, "Agent DiNozzo, Todd I am not going to take any chances with this you will both be in marine fatigues and battle armor. I want you to blend in with the respective marines that are going to accompany you on each of your missions. As you can see Agents, Kravitz and Williams are all suited up and ready to go. Just go to the locker room and suit up."

Tony and Kate grabbed their gear and head to the men's and ladies' room to change instead of the locker room because it was closer. When they returned all four headed down to the armory to pick up their weapons. When they got there Tony and Tripp each pick up an M4 and Kate and Susan picked out an H&K MP-5.

Just before they were to go their separate ways Tony grabbed Kate's arm and twirled her towards him and then kissed her with so much passion that she felt dizzy after they broke apart for the need of oxygen. Tony then said, "Be careful Katie, I don't want anything to happen to you."

Kate recovered from the kiss and said back to Tony, "You to Tony I want you all to myself tonight."

Tripp and Susan were back by the elevator and both were smiling when Tripp said, "They make a cute couple don't they?"

Susan replied, "Yeah they do, and they are good at keeping home and work separate. That is the first time I have seen PDA despite just holding hands. I can also see why they would do that now because of this mission so I don't blame them."

Finally Tony and Tripp headed to the decoy deuce and a half and pilled in the back with the fake Ari. They both knew that this was going to be very dangerous. One of the marines handed an M4 to the fake Ari and then they took off.

Kate watched the three vehicle convoy leave the NCIS garage with an armored hummer in the lead and in the middle was the deuce and a half and following was another armored hummer. The plan was that they were to wait fifteen minutes and take Ari to Pax River and transfer him to the custody of the Agents that were to escort him to Gitmo.

Tony and Tripp both had adrenaline flowing through their veins in anticipation of an upcoming ambush. Twenty minutes into the trip there was an explosion towards the front of the convoy and Tony thought for sure it was an IED that was meant to disable the lead hummer. Yelling to the marines it the truck he said, "All right this is it, and don't forget we need one of them alive so that they can give us some answeres."

After Tony's little speech all the men in the back of the truck felt it come to a stop because of the hummer that was in the lead had been put out of commission by what they would find out later was a claymore mine. Just as they came to a stop Tony held up his fist in a signal to stay put then after a quick five count made the signal to disembark. All of the marines and the two agents piled out of the truck setting up a perimeter getting ready for the firefight.

Tony spotted four men, with Israeli Galil assault rifles as their primary weapon and Uzi's as their secondary, coming out of the tree line on the on the left and a quick glance to the right and he saw four more appear from behind a small utility shed.

Tripp saw another four appear from the field behind them and took one of the grenades that Tony had insisted he take and motioned for one of the marines to do the same and then they lobbed them at the four men that were coming at them. The small explosion took out all four men.

When the grenades went off Tony looked around to try and find the leader of this group. He spotted a tall Middle Eastern man coordinating everything from the tree line. In that moment their eyes locked, Tony then smiled a shit eating grin at the man, then he took his thumb and made the sign of pulling it across his neck at the man. The Middle Eastern man just shook his head at Tony and put his hand up and made the sign like he was shooting with it at Tony.

Kate and Susan had left fifteen minutes after Tony and Tripp and were almost to Edwards Air Force base where Ari would go into the custody of other agents and flown down to Gitmo. She wondered what was happening with Tony at that moment.

What broke up the staring match between Tony and the other man was gunfire coming from Tony's left that made him dive for cover behind the big truck. Just then his radio squawked and Kate's voice said, "The package has been sent express air mail safely to its destination."

Tony then yelled at Tripp saying, "Williams get over here, I spotted their leader over in the tree line, you and me are going to flank him. Remember though we want to try and take him alive for questioning."

Tripp knew that it would probably be hard because he had guessed that most of these men were from the Mossad Kidon unit which meant they were fierce fighters.

Tony glanced around the truck seeing that it was all clear he sprinted off to the left of where the man in the tree line stood talking on his radio. Tripp was hot on his heals when out of nowhere there was automatic gunfire raining down on them by the two other men that were with their leader. Tony felt a bullet graze his right leg and another tore through his right arm. He dove for cover and doing a roll he came up firing with his M4 and got lucky because he hit one of the guards right in the middle of his forehead. The other took three to the chest and also died where he was. He looked around and saw that Tripp had taken one to the thigh and appeared to have broken his leg, so he was out of action. He knelt down to Tripp and checks his pulse and found a steady rhythm, but since he was in the middle of a firefight he had to leave him there for the moment. Tony looked down to Tripp and silently communicates what he was about to do and saw that Tripp just smiled at him and waved him away. When Tony took down the body guards of the leader of the ambushers it forced him to dive for cover also.

Tony silently crawled on his belly towards the tree line hoping to sneak up on his target, but still fully aware that there is a gun battle going on around him. He reaches the tree line and rises up on his knees to get a quick look of the spot he last saw the man that was his target. Tony spots him a few yards away from his original position using a fallen tree as cover. Just at that moment he hears the unmistakable cry of pain come from where his truck had been and sees that two of the marines have went down with gunshot wounds and notices that two of the commandos are approaching their cover behind the truck. Tony knows he has to make a decision, either he takes down the tall Middle Eastern man or save the lives of the marines that have went down fighting alongside him. He quickly makes up his mind and pops up from his hiding spot and goes to fire his weapon at the advancing Israelis to send them to meet their maker but all of a sudden he hears the unmistakable fire of an M4 and watches as the two commandos go down and sees that it was Tripp that had shot both of the men.

Tripp was in considerable pain and knew he had a broken leg from the GSW he had sustained. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen though. He had just heard the marines from his and Tony's position scream out in pain and saw the two men racing towards them and knew he had to do something about it. Even though he was in terrible pain he could still fire his weapon, so he aimed at both men and emptied his clip into the two men.

Tony knew that he exposed himself and when he saw Tripp shoot the advancing men the next thing he did was to barrel roll to his left. It was a good thing that he did so to, because the leader had whipped out a Jericho 9mm pistol and started to fire at him. Tony let the M4 danged freely from its harness and during the roll drew his SIG and knowing he needed this guy alive fired off three shots as he came up from the roll. All three bullets had hit their mark, one in each leg and another in the right shoulder of the tall Israeli. Running over to the downed man Tony glances at the battle behind him and notices that all but one of the Israeli men has been put down and the last one has tossed his weapons down because he had three marines running towards him and he didn't want to die.

Tripp had noticed the gun fire had ceased and then yelled out, "Medic." He was in a lot of pain because of the bone being broken.

Several of the marines had scattered and were tending to their wounded and dead, which there was only two. One of the marines got on his radio and called for multiple ambulances and also a medievac helicopter for the more serious of them.

Tony stayed by the fallen man and had relieved him of any weapons that he had on him, which was a considerable amount. He had two Jericho pistols along with his Uzi and three fragmentation grenades and two flash bangs. He also had several knives on his person hidden on different parts of his body. Tony had also radioed for an armored escort to take the remaining prisoner back to headquarters but he would be escorting his wounded prisoner to the hospital. He had also told the Gunnery Sgt. to take pictures of each of the dead men and send him the pictures so he could forward them to Abby and have her run facial recognition.

**Chapter 15: Questions and Answers**

Tony had stayed the night at the hospital with his prisoner and while he was in surgery Tony had to have his arm sewed up in the ER.

Kate had almost had a heart attack when she found out Tony had been shot. She then turned from scared to angry in the blink of an eye and told him off for scaring her like that.

Susan had stepped away from the two love birds and had waited for Tripp to come out of surgery on his leg. It turned out that he had broken his tibia from the bullet striking his leg.

Jenny wasn't happy about the loss of life that had happened on Tony's mission but still she is happy with the outcome of getting Ari sent to Gitmo. They lost three marines in the ambush, one that was in the lead hummer because he was closest to the IED. They lost two others in the initial firefight and another was in a coma in critical condition. She also had two agents that were out of action for the time being, although Tony's was not as severe as Agent Williams was. The only good news was that Gibbs was improving but was still in a coma according to Ducky.

After two days in the hospital Tony had the man leading the ambush transferred to NCIS for questioning. Both Tony and Kate personally escorted him there at five am in the morning because they didn't want a repeat of the ambush to happen.

When they got him to HQ they put him in interrogation room 1 and let him stew for about an hour because Tony wanted to do a little checking on something. To no one else's knowledge he had Ziva tailed when she left NCIS that day and wanted to check up and see what she had been up to incase she was involved. When he had called the person tailing Ziva and had gotten the information that she had hopped on a nonstop flight to Tel Aviv the day before the ambush occurred he knew that she wasn't a part of it.

Tony came busting into the interrogation room like a herd of bulls and making the Israeli man jump to the amusement of Kate and Susan who were in observation watching. Tony stormed in and sat down in the chair opposite the Israeli and said, "Ok there are several ways we can do this; the first is we can just get rid of all the games and play nice with each other and you answer all my questions. Personally I don't think that's for you. Second you can try and be the strong silent type and not answer my questions at all. Then there is my favorite, the one where I charge you with terrorism and send you down to Gitmo where your buddy Ari is currently residing. See even though you took down some good marines it was all for naught. We knew you were coming so we put in a double to throw you off." Tony paused then and saw the comprehension flash across the man's face then he tried to mask it but it was too late, Tony had seen it.

"Yeah that's why you didn't see him after the shooting started, because he wasn't even there. Now why don't we start with your name, " what the man didn't know was that Tony already had all of the information there was on this man do to a little Abby magic.

The man stared at Tony and decided to try and pull a fast one on Tony and said, "My name is Ali Macmoud."

Tony just leaned back in his seat and started laughing. After getting things under control he said, "Sorry it's just that every time someone lies to me I burst out laughing. You see that was a test, in this folder I have your whole life story _Michael_, so why don't we try that again."

Michael was taken aback by what Tony had just told him and then he felt defeated because that meant that they knew almost everything. He decided that he had no reason to lie anymore and said, "All right my name is Michael Rivkin."

Tony then smiled his 1000 watt smile and said, "Now we are getting somewhere. See the main question that we have _Michael_, is on whose orders did you try and break/rescue Ari. Consider this very carefully it could mean whether or not you go to Gitmo where there is a lot of Muslim terrorists or going to prison here in the states. Either way you are screwed in my opinion."

**A/N: I have nothing against Muslim people I put this in because I know that Jewish and Muslim people don't like each other.**

Michael sat there thinking and knew that if Eli was going to get him out he would have by now so he decided to cooperate and hope for the best and said, "The whole operation was put together by the deputy director of Mossad, Eli David. He couldn't take the embarrassment that his half-son, who he trained personally by the way, had been captured by who he thinks is a second rate agent, you. If it was someone like your agent Gibbs then it wouldn't have been so bad but by capturing Ari you embarrassed Eli. It made him look bad in the eyes of the director of Mossad, Benjamin Adelberg. When this happens it is hard to win back. Since Ari is considered a traitor Eli thought that if he got him back to face the crimes he committed against Israel the he would regain the respect he lost. Eli put together a team of Israeli Special Forces to do the job. I highly doubt they even know why they were recruited for this mission, they just follow orders like a good little soldier, the same as me."

Tony contemplated everything Rivkin had just told him and it all seemed very plausible but he had a couple more questions to ask. Tony then said to Rivkin, "What about Eli's daughter Ziva, she came here to try and stop us from sending Ari to Gitmo, but it was reported that she got on a plane to Tel Aviv the day before your mission, so did she have anything to do with it?"

This time it was Michael who laughed then said, "Ziva have something to do with this, that's funny. See Ziva always does what is right, she has very high morals and never would have followed through with it. Her conscience would get in the way but since she is a David she is right in line to take Eli's position with something were to happen to him." Michael thought about it for a moment and continued saying, "That's it isn't it, you want to know if Eli is removed from office if someone else even worse would step into his shoes."

Tony had to give the guy credit, he had hit the nail on the head. There was no use lying to him now that he was going to a super max prison somewhere no one would ever think to look. "Well you are good Mikey I'll give you that and yes as we are speaking my director is on the phone with the state department and your director, Adelberg, and are trying to get him removed from his position. When I came in here and you gave up Eli my director took the evidence and e-mailed it to Adelberg and from what I understand he is groveling pretty well right now and David will be out on his ass within twenty four hours. I guess it was a good thing that Ziva flew home if she is going to be promoted. Also from what I hear she's going to be the one that gets to deal with NCIS." Tony then got up and walked out the door not even glancing back at a startled Rivkin.

**Chapter 16: The Gibbs Problem**

It had been two weeks since Tony had gotten a confession from Mossad officer Michael Rivkin and everything was finally getting back to normal, or as close to it as possible. Tony had went and had a long heart to heart with Ducky about Gibbs and also how he wanted the duck man to return to NCIS as the head ME. They both knew that at this point in time that the only thing that they could do was to wait, so Ducky had agreed to come back.

Abby was slowly turning back into the same 'happiest Goth there ever was'. She had come back to NCIS earlier than Ducky but wasn't the same as before because that bomb had taken away a former lover and seriously injured her, 'silver haired fox'. Kate thought that she needed to do the same for Abby that Tony did for Ducky and it seemed to help but on a slower schedule.

Tripp was given sick leave because of his broken leg and told to take it easy until his doctor Okayed him for desk duty, which was about three and a half months away.

In a bit of happy news Susan had been to see Tripp one day at the hospital and had met one of his doctors. They had immediately hit it off and even though they had only been dating for a little over three weeks everyone could see that they were both madly in love.

Tony had sent everyone home early after closing a tough case and had pulled Kate off to the side. The two had been going great and even though they had only been dating a month Kate was basically moved in to Tony's huge apartment so he decided to ask her to move in and make it official. Tony took a deep breath and said, "Kate I know we haven't been together long and you stay over a lot so I want to make it official. So Kate, will you move in with me?"

Kate was surprised at how nervous Tony was when he first walked up. Hearing him ask her too permanently brought a flutter to her heart. She jumped into his arms kissed him soundly.

When they finally separated Tony said, "I'll take that as a yes then."

Kate laughed and punched him in the shoulder saying, "Of course it was a yes you big oaf. I would love to move in with you."

Tony was as happy as could be but their moment was broken up when his cell phone started to ring. Tony gave Kate a quick peck on the lips then answered his phone saying, "DiNozzo, and this better be important."

"Anthony I think you and Kate better get to the hospital as soon as possible because Jethro has woken up," Ducky told Tony excitedly.

Tony grabbed Kate's hand and was dragging her towards the elevator and said, "We'll be right there Ducky."

By then Kate had guessed that something had happened with Gibbs at the hospital and said, "What happened with Gibbs, is he okay, what did ducky say?"

Tony looked down at Kate after hitting the button for the garage and said, "Ducky didn't say much, for once, just that Gibbs had woken up. Ducky did sound excited but also scared. I don't know what else is going on but there was urgency in his voice so we need to get there fast." Jumping into the charger parked there they sped off towards the hospital.

Walking off the hospital elevator with Kate in tow Tony saw Ducky standing outside of Gibbs' room with an upsetting look on his face. They shared a look while walking towards Ducky then Tony said, "Alright duck man give it to us straight what is wrong with Gibbs because you have this look on your face that tells me something isn't right."

Ducky sighed and then said, "Gibbs has amnesia and believes it is shortly after his first wife and daughter have just been murdered and he is still in the marine corp."

Kate couldn't believe what she was hearing she didn't know anything about Gibbs having a fourth wife let alone a daughter. She gasped and said, "What, he had a fourth wife we didn't know about!"

Tony sighed and ran his hand over his face and said, "That's not exactly true. Before I took the job here with Gibbs I had a friend do an in depth background check on him. When I found out about his first wife and daughter I was going to confront him but when I did some digging on my own I found the circumstances that a certain drug dealer had died in Mexico I let it go. We all know that Gibbs isn't the type to let the murder of his wife and daughter go. So I thought it best to keep quiet. There is one person that I think aided him in his revenge quest, and I'm reluctant to call him because he is manipulative. I also hate saying this but he is a retired NIS agent." Looking at Ducky to make sure he caught on to who he was talking about he continued, "Duck I think that our new director should be informed and let her make the call on whether or not to get in touch with this man."

Ducky knew what Tony was doing and why, he was passing the buck to the director because he felt that Mike Franks had used Gibbs to do his dirty work for him while he was emotional and still grieving for his wife and daughter.

Kate was confused and angry, she felt that Tony should have told her about Gibbs' past, but then realized there really wasn't any reason to. The anger soon dissipated to more confusion as Ducky started to walk towards the elevator to go and inform Director Shepard. She looked at Tony and said, "I'm not mad you didn't tell me about Gibbs' past but I would like to know what we are going to do next."

Tony again sighed and said, "We have to do the hardest thing there is to do, we wait. Ducky went to inform the director and she will probably make a call to Gibbs' mentor, retired special agent Mike Franks. The last I heard Franks was down in Mexico near Baja. Franks will probably get on a flight here and tomorrow we will come back and see if he can get through to Gibbs."

Kate understood this but one thing popped into her head and she said, "Okay I can live with all that but I have to say this Tony. Someone is going to have to tell Abby. Since we're best friends I'm going to go over there and tell her what has happened and probably spend the night because you know how Abby gets about Gibbs."

Tony thought for a second and nodded his head and then said, "Yeah Kate I understand all of that. She's going to need you tonight so just be careful okay? I do think that you need to keep her there until Franks has a chance to talk to Gibbs and bring him around, remember he still has two legs and an arm in a cast as well. I'm going to head home and try to sleep but without you there it'll be hard, plus I want to be here in the morning when Franks gets here." Tony then leaned down and kissed Kate very soundly and then left a dizzy Kate in his wake as he headed home.

**Chapter 17: Dilemmas **

Kate had been at Abby's apartment all night consoling the happiest Goth on earth and was getting frustrated with Abby. She thought that going to the hospital and seeing her silver haired fox would snap him out of it, but Kate had to keep reminding her that Tony had a plan and it started with Abby staying home for the night. Finally having had enough she slipped a mild sedative in Abby's Caf-Pow and knocked her out for the night.

Jenny had been given a full debrief of Gibbs' condition and just like Tony had predicted she had indeed called Franks and he was on his way to DC to see Gibbs. She had called Tony and told him Franks would be at the hospital around 08:00 but Tony told her that meant he probably would be there earlier.

Tony had called Susan and told her that she had the rest of the week off while he and Kate sorted all of this out and to have fun with her doctor boyfriend.

Tony arrived at the hospital around twenty after seven, he knew he was early but wanted to be there before Franks. He walked down to Gibbs' room and walked in and saw that he was already here sitting in a chair in the corner. Mike looked up at him and didn't know who he was so he said, "Who the hell are you?"

Tony replied by saying, "I'm Tony DiNozzo, I was Gibbs' SFA before this whole thing. Now I can see he's still asleep but I need to talk to you so would you mind stepping out into the hall?"

Franks took a look to see that Gibbs truly was sleeping, then got up and strode out of the room right past Tony. Once in the hall he turned to Tony and said, "Well probie you wanted to talk so talk."

Tony just sighed and said, "A lot has happened, first A good friend of mine died in the same bomb blast that put Gibbs here in the hospital. Next the doctors said there is some nerve damage to one of his legs so his field days are over. Then there's the part where Gibbs has amnesia and thinks its right after Shannon and Kelly were murdered. Last I know the whole truth Franks, so don't try to lie to me about what you and Gibbs did back then." Tony saw the expressions change on Mike's face when he told him of each scenario that had happened, but was really surprised by the last part he said. Tony continued by saying, "Yeah that's right I know about Pedro Hernandez. See I was against having you come here because I figured the only way that Gibbs knew where Hernandez was would be if someone accidently left some Intel on their desk at the right time. Right now though you are the only one that he would remember from back then so maybe you can help him get his memory back and understand why he's in the hospital in the first place."

Franks was taken aback by what Tony had just told him but soon that turned to anger and suspicion. He then looked at Tony with a glare that reminded Tony of the old Gibbs glare and said, "If that's how you feel about things then what are you going to do about it?"

Tony just laughed and replied, "The same thing I have been doing for the past three and a half years, nothing. You can try your hardest to spin a tale about what I will do or won't do but the fact remains that you are here for Gibbs not to talk about your past or his. Now that you know that I will let you in on another secret. I took over Gibbs' spot as the SSA and team leader of the MCRT, so if I wanted to turn either of you in don't you think I would have by now?"

Franks didn't know Tony and didn't like that he knew about their secret about what happened in Mexico, but he had to admit that he was right. If he was going to do something he would have by now. He also recognized that what he said about being here for Gibbs was also true. Finally he said, "You're right probie, I'm here for Jethro not to talk about the past, but what am I supposed to tell him that has happened in the last 12 years?"

Tony sighed and started to doubt that calling Franks was a bad idea but said, "Just get him to realize the, who, what, when and how he had gotten so banged up and is in the hospital for his injuries. I talked to the doc and he said it might help coming from someone he trusts and it also might jog his memory. I'll go in with you and try to fill in the blanks you can't, okay?"

Franks seemed dubious at first then said, "I'd like to go in first and have a quick talk with him if that's alright."

Tony nodded his head and said, "You've got five minutes then I'm coming into the room to see if we can't bring him back."

Franks walked into Gibbs' room and saw that he was awake and said, "Dam, probie what in the hell happened to you?"

"Mike, it's good to see you. I wish to hell I knew what happened but I just can't remember anything. The doctors and nurses have told me that there was some nerve damage to one of my legs and I won't be able to be an agent anymore. The thing is that I don't remember being an agent in the first place Mike. I mean I remember first starting off with you but that's about it," Gibbs says in a frustrated tone.

Tony walks through the door and goes and takes a seat in the corner of the room. Both Mike and Gibbs stare at him and wait for him to say something. Tony looks between the two men and says, "Okay, I'm going to get the heavy stuff out of the way. Gibbs I know all about what happened with Shannon and Kelly. I also know about what you did in the aftermath. I also know about how you came to get that information. I'm not going to do anything with this but sit on it unless you want me to do differently. Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, but you can call me Tony. I was your SFA before you wound up in here."

This is startling news to Gibbs because he thought that only he and Mike knew about Pedro Hernandez. Now this DiNozzo waltzes in and tells him he knows to, it's very upsetting news indeed.

Tony sees the emotions fly across Gibbs' face and continues, "Gibbs I really could care less what you did down there and even though we were sworn to uphold the law, its Mexico's law not the U.S.'s. Enough of this heavy shit, the reason I came here was to try and help you remember other things and to tell you why you are in the hospital in the first place."

Gibbs looks at Tony and remembers back to a day on the streets of Baltimore where he is dressed funny and a man chases and tackles him to the ground. He punches him in the face but the man says, "Freeze dirt bag," as he pulls a SIG and points into his face and that man was one Tony DiNozzo.

Tony sees the comprehension on Gibbs face and Tony says, "You remembered something didn't you? What was it, where were you?"

Gibbs sighs and says, "I was running down the street dressed in this goofy hat and you were chasing me. You caught up to me and tackled me and said, freeze dirt bag."

Tony smiles and says, "Yeah that was the first day we met. You were undercover trying to catch a man that was laundering money through the Navy payroll office."

Gibbs looks at DiNozzo and realizes he can trust this man, he feels it in his gut, and then says, "How did I end up here in the hospital with two broken legs and a broken arm?"

Tony's eyes go hard but he regains his composure quickly and says, "You were in a bomb blast by a terrorist. The explosion severely injured you and killed another member of the team and also injured another member." Tony sees the same look on Gibbs' face that was there a few minutes ago and continues, "His name was Ari Haswari. He belonged to Mossad and was supposed to be a mole in Hamas but he turned. For some reason he picked our team to harass just because you reminded him of his father. You don't have to worry we caught him for you and sent him to Gitmo. I'm only telling you his name because it might jog your memory. His name is Ari Haswari."

Gibbs' face goes blank as his mind flashes to the NCIS Morgue. _He steps into autopsy holding a box of evidence he spots a Middle Eastern man lazily leaning up against the back wall with a gun in his hand at his side. The man says, "On the table is Caitlin's SIG and next to it is the magazine. Pick it up."_

_ Gibbs eyes the gun warily and says, "Why?" Staring at the man who had just pushed off the wall. He slowly walked towards the gun, not taking his eyes off of the other man. When he says, "Why not?"_

_ Gibbs slowly picks up the gun then the magazine and checks it to see that it's full. He then loads the weapon and jacks the slide then quickly raises the gun and so does the other man. They both fire at the same time, Gibbs hits the man twice in the chest while taking a round to the left shoulder. Suddenly a flash-bang goes off and autopsy is flooded by the HRT team from the FBI. Gibbs looks up and sees DiNozzo looking down at him saying, "Everything is going to be alright boss the paramedics are their way."_

_ Writhing in pain on the autopsy floor He manages to ask, "Did I get him DiNozzo, is he dead"_

_ Tony says, "Yeah you got him boss but he slipped out dressed as one of the breeching officers. He then shot two guys by the elevator and went out through the loading dock."_

Gibbs snapped back to the present and looked at both men and settled on Tony and said, "I remembered the first time we came across Ari. Down in the morgue after he had shot Gerald and taken Ducky and Kate hostage. You said you got him, tell me about it."

Tony sighed and said, "Gibbs, do you remember anything else about the team? Like the members and who they were?"

Gibbs thinks real hard and remembers a man with a pudgy face, McGee that was his name, almost a genius with computer, meeting him for the first time on the docks at Norfolk Naval Base. He remembers that he was as green as could be. Then there was Abby, their forensic scientist who was like a daughter to him. There was one of his closest friends, Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard, who he had met when he first woke up from the coma. Next he remembers a woman with black hair about 5'6" with a nice figure who he had met on air force one, her name was Kate Todd. Yeah he might not remember the specifics about them but he did remember who each one of them was and that he could trust them with his life, which was big in his book. Gibbs broke out of his thoughts and memories and said, "Yeah I remember everyone."

Tony let out a sigh of relief and went on saying, "Do you remember about three weeks before you were put in here and I had the Plague?"

Again Gibbs digs in his mind and recalls Tony laying in a hospital bed with blue lights on him and looking like he would die any moment. He also remembers telling Tony that he didn't have permission to die yet. He recalls more unsavory things about that day and just looks at Tony and nods his head.

Franks couldn't believe most of this stuff he was hearing about what had happened with Gibbs and his team. He looked at Tony with newfound respect at not only bringing in the guy that put Jethro in the hospital but also for surviving a medieval disease. He kept quiet for two reasons, first he wanted to learn more about what had been happening here since he left, and second because it seemed to be drawing Gibbs back out and getting him to remember things.

Tony was glad Franks was keeping quiet in the corner so he could help get the old Gibbs back. He was glad when Gibbs said he remember the time he had the plague because it meant that the amnesia was only temporary, and remembering the team was a huge step for him. Tony then continued saying, "I was at home recovering when you, Kate and McGee got a call out to a scene with two Naval Aviators had been murdered. We didn't know at the time but Ari had killed them and taken their right hands so he could get into a facility where they house test drones for the real drones to shoot down. All they are is a hollowed out missile. Anyway when you three got to the scene you handed out jobs as you always do and took my place taking pictures. Kate is a great artist so she always sketches the scene and you had McGee bag and tag. Kate finished very quickly and since Ducky wasn't there yet because his Asst. ME had gotten then lost she was on her way up the side of the hill. McGee then took the keys and went to open the trunk and he set of a bomb. It killed him instantly and sent you flying back about twenty feet. You were blown into a tree where you broke both of your legs and your arm when you slid back down the tree and you fractured your arm there. Kate was blown into the side of the hill and hit her head and got a concussion. That's how you ended up in the hospital Gibbs, just like you wanted to know."

It was a good thing that Tony was finished because in the next moment Abby came bursting through the door yelling, "Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, it's so good to too see you." Abby then pulled up from being on her way to giving Gibbs a huge Abby hug and continued, "You do remember me don't you Gibbs?"

"Yeah I remember you Abs, how could I forget the world's happiest Goth, and the prettiest to," Gibbs answered her.

Abby then did throw herself at Gibbs for the Abby hug she wanted to give him a moment ago.

Kate and Ducky had walked in right behind Abby and were watching the whole scene unfold in front of them. Kate looked over at Tony, who was watching Franks, with a great deal of distrust. She knew most of what Gibbs was wrapped up in the past with Franks because Tony had explained most of it yesterday. Kate thought that she needed to talk to Tony about this again but wanted to wait until they got home tonight. She walked over to Gibbs after Abby had finally relinquished her hold on Gibbs and said, "It's good to see you aren't sleeping on the job anymore Gibbs." Just as the words had left her mouth a thought popped into her head, _god I'm spending too much time around DiNozzo._

Gibbs just looked at her and said, "Well Kate I really didn't have any choice in the matter. I heard you guys caught that guy that has caused us so many headaches over the past 2 years."

Kate sighed at that thinking that the price was too high for catching Ari and now that she was thinking about it the FBI weren't all that cooperative about it when it came to catching Ari. She would probably mention that to Tony latter on also. She looked at Gibbs and said, "Yeah we did but we lost one of our own in the process, plus you are in here and won't be able to come back to work. Did Tony tell you he took over as team leader after we got the news that you couldn't come back? Also we got a new director and she's pretty cool. Did anyone let her know that Gibbs is awake?"

Since he mostly got back his memory in the past 15 minutes but there were still holes in it. Maybe being in here for a couple of days wouldn't be that bad if Mike sticks around and I wonder who the new director is. "Kate, what's the name of the new director, maybe I know who she is?"

It wasn't Kate that answered though it was Tony saying, "Gibbs you ought to know her, her name is Jenny Shepard." Tony gave Gibbs a look that told him he knew about their mission in Paris.

Gibbs had a memory of him and Jenny making love in an old rundown apartment in Paris. He then said, "Jen is the new director of NCIS?" He sounded like he couldn't believe that Jenny was the new director.

This time it was Ducky that spoke up and he said, "Yes Jethro Jennifer in the new director and she has been rather worried about you even though you are not technically one of her agents anymore."

Gibbs was totally thrown for a loop by Ducky's statement. After Jenny had walked away from their relationship directly following the mission in Paris he had thought that she didn't have any feeling for him anymore, but from what Ducky had just said then maybe she did.

Tony had caught Kate's eye and motioned his head towards the door then said, "I'm going to go and call the director and let her know that things are going smoothly here and ask if she wants come visit you Gibbs."

Tony walked out of the room with Kate following behind him wondering what he's up to at the moment. She walked up to Tony who was waiting by the nurse's station and said, "Okay what is going on Tony? Why'd you have me come out here?"

Tony ran his hand over his face and then says, "Kate I wanted you here because I wasn't sure what to do at the moment. See back in the day the director and Gibbs used to have a thing. What happened was that the director walked away from him to take a promotion and become a SAC at the Naples, Italy field office. Gibbs was a SFA for some idiot named Riley McAllister out of the San Diego office. See they were undercover in Paris and Gibbs got arrested by the French police and Jenny got him out of it somehow. The powers that be were so impressed with her she got to be a SAC and Gibbs got to be a SSA here of the MCRT team. My point is that I think she regrets taking that promotion and leaving Gibbs, even though it got her the directorship in the future. I just wondered if you would like to play match maker with Gibbs and the director."

Kate couldn't believe what she had just heard. Tony actually wanted to set up Gibbs, and the Director. Then she started thinking about it and realized that since Gibbs wasn't an agent anymore there wouldn't be any kind of conflict of interest. They didn't have to jump through those hoops either because Tony had told Director Shepard about both of them being in a relationship and said everything was fine as long as they kept the PDA to a minimum at the office. Thinking back she did notice the way Director Shepard had looked at Gibbs when visiting him in the hospital. Kate finally got herself under control and said, "Do you really think we can get Gibbs and the director together after everything that has happened?"

Tony just laughed and said, "Oh ye of little faith Katie, oh ye of little faith. Kate I think she regrets her choice of leaving Gibbs and is a little scared to come clean about how she really feels to him. Come on let's make that phone call."

**Chapter 18: Second Chances & Surprises**

**A/N: Okay this is going to be short but sweet **

Tony pulled out his cell and but just before he dialed the director he said, "Kate what I'm about to do might seem a little mean but I think it will have the desired effect. I'm going to tell the Director that they think Gibbs doesn't have long to live and if she wants to say good bye then she needs to do it now." Before Kate could even respond Tony had pressed the call button on his phone.

Kate wasn't so sure this was a good idea but then rationalized it probably would have the desired effect.

"Director it's DiNozzo, they are telling us that even though Gibbs is awake he doesn't have long to live so if you want to see him before he passes away you need to hurry up and get here."

Tony heard the sharp intake of breath then the director said, "I'll be right there agent DiNozzo," then there was a click and the line went dead.

Tony looked at Kate and said, "Well she's one her way. I just hope that this works or I might be busted down to probie status."

Kate laughed at that but then turned serious and said, "Tony, do ever think about having a family of your own?"

Tony knew that this was one of those get down to business conversations that he loathed so much but also knew that without them their relationship would just fall apart. He looked at her and said, "If you tell anyone what I am about to say I will deny it to the end of time. One of my secret fantasies has always been to have a family of my own with a beautiful wife and several kids. I would love to live in a house with a big backyard and maybe even a dog that the kids could play with. I never wanted to be like my father who didn't know how to be a dad and not be there for his kid, I wanted the opposite if that. Does that answer your question?"

Kate was taken aback at Tony's revelation; she just always pictured Him as a full time bachelor. She knew that he was a loyal and caring man and most of his playboy front was just a mask, but she had seen firsthand how he had been able to charm suspects and witnesses, hell he had even charmed her. She thought that the only difference was though, she knew the real Anthony DiNozzo Jr. She finally worked up the courage to say what she wanted to and started by saying, "Tony, I'm pregnant."

Tony had been watching Kate as she seemed in deep thought and he knew she wanted to tell him something so he waited patiently. He was about to speak up when Kate dropped her bomb on him. First there was fear, then surprise then acceptance and finally happiness. Tony reached down and kissed Kate so passionately that she almost fell over after they broke apart. He then picked her up and twirled her in a circle, with Kate squealing like a little girl, and Tony shouting, "**I'm going to be a Daddy**."

The nurses were going to say something about the commotion Tony and Kate were creating but when they heard him say he was going to be a father the completely understood.

The one thing the happy couple didn't count on though had just gotten off the elevator and heard Tony's exclamation and just shook her head. Jenny walked up to her two Agents and said, "I really hate to break up this happy moment but can you tell me how Gibbs is doing? Also when we get back to headquarters we will talk about this."

Tony put Kate down and blushed and Kate hid her face in Tony's chest because of the embarrassment. Tony was the first to speak and said, "Sorry Jenny it was just such a happy moment for us. Gibbs is in room 302 and since we can't hear Abby anymore he's probably asleep. Right after we came out here I thought I saw Franks head out the other way. He said something about going to Gibbs house to get some sleep." Tony was being a little evasive by telling her about everyone other than Gibbs. "I'm sure if you went on in there he was probably just taking a cat nap. One other thing was that he is slowly regaining his memory so that is a plus," Tony added.

Jenny started walking down to Gibbs' room when a smiling Abby walked out of the door and hugged Jenny before racing off towards where Kate and Tony were still holding each other. Jenny walked into the room and there was Gibbs, lying in bed with his eyes closed. She could tell he wasn't really asleep from his breathing. She took his hand and said, "Jethro I know you aren't really asleep but I have a confession to make. I made a terrible mistake leaving you all of those years ago. See I had a five point plan for my life and at the time you weren't part of it, but the next day after I left I realized what a huge mistake I had made. I loved you back then and I still love you now and I don't want you to die." By the time she had finished she had tears rolling down her cheeks.

Gibbs heard every word Jenny had said and with hearing her little speech he had visions running through his mind of all the good times they had spent together and some of the bad. These memories help to regain a feeling he hadn't felt since she had left back then.

Jenny gave Gibbs' hand one last squeeze and got up and was going to leave when Gibbs said, "Did you really mean that entire speech Jenny? One other thing I'm not dying."

Jenny at first looked embarrassed but then looked Gibbs right in the eyes and said, "Yes Jethro I meant every word. I made a mistake getting off that plane. Now I realize that and regret it almost every day. I loved you in Paris and every day after that Jethro."

Gibbs again had all sorts of memories of Jenny and him in Paris and decided that he did love Jenny. Even though Shannon and Kelly were gone they wouldn't want him to just waste away and become some type of hermit. "Jenny I would like that very much but from what I understand I'm going to be in here a while," Gibbs said gesturing towards his three casts.

Jenny was so happy she had tears running down her cheeks. She bent down and kissed Gibbs with every ounce of passion she could muster and it left them both breathless.

Little did both of them know that at the doorway Tony and Kate were watching the whole thing happen? Kate finally tugged on Tony's arm and pulled him out of the room to give the new couple a little privacy. They were walking down the hall holding hands when they heard Jenny say, "Stop right there you two."

Tony looked at Kate and said, "Uh-oh." They both knew that they were in for a tongue lashing but considering the happy outcome they were both prepared to take whatever punishment came their way.

Jenny stalked up to Tony since he was the one that had told her that Gibbs was dying and said, "Agent DiNozzo if you ever lie to me again you will be out of NCIS faster than you can say pink slip, are we clear on that?" Tony kept quiet and just nodded his head. Jenny then did something very unlike her or maybe even proper for the director of a federal agency, she hugged him. Jenny then said, "That being said, I would like to thank you for your, um intervention."

Kate stood there with her jaw hanging open and eyes as big as saucers just thinking wow is this really happening. She was too surprised to feel jealous or any other type of emotion for that matter.

Tony couldn't believe what was happening, the director of NCIS had threatened to fire him in one sentence but then in the next was thanking him for getting her and Gibbs back together.

Jenny let go of Tony from the hug took a step back and smacked him on the back of the head just like Gibbs usually did. Tony was totally surprised by this and just stood there with his mouth hanging open.

Jenny then said, "That's to let you know that I am still in charge here. Thanks again for what you did for us."

Kate went from being surprised to bursting out laughing as she watched the director give Tony a head slap. She then listened to her tell Tony it was to let him know that she was still his boss. Seeing the director do that just seemed hilarious to her she continued laughing at the expression on Tony's face.

**Epilogue: The Future**

Tony and Kate sat in their house at 10:30 at night all cuddled up on the couch just enjoying each other's company. It had been three years since that fateful day that had put Gibbs in the hospital and killed McGee. Things had changed a lot for everybody at NCIS. Both Tony and Kate were silently reminiscing about the past three years.

Tony was thinking about how things couldn't get any better. He had proposed to Kate after 10 months of dating and 9 months of Kate being pregnant. What he hadn't foreseen was that proposing to Kate would cause her to go into labor. 19 hours later Kate had given birth to a healthy baby boy, Joshua Tyler. Tony had first thought that he would be a terrible father but Kate had faith in him. It turned out that since he had had a tough childhood it had taught him how not to be with his son.

Six months after J.T. was born Tony and Kate had gotten married in an intimate ceremony with just family and friends. Abby was of course was the maid of honor and as his best man Tony asked his best friend and former frat brother, Rob Jacobs. It was a nice ceremony with Kate being walked down the aisle by her father, Samuel Todd. Throughout the whole thing Kate's mom and sister both cried their eyes out. Gibbs had made it with Jenny pushing his wheel chair. Both Gibbs and Jenny were as happy as could be for the newlyweds.

Gibbs was a different man since he had gotten together with Jenny. He was still kind of grumpy because of his condition but he smiled a lot more and truly seemed happy. At first it was rough because he felt like he was betraying Shannon and Kelly by being happy. Coincidentally it was Mike Franks that made him see that it was okay to move on and be happy because that's what 'his girls' would want.

Kate was having the similar thoughts that Tony was having. Her's were different though, they were thankful for what had happened that day on the hillside. Of course she was sad that McGee had died but if that explosion hadn't have happened then her and Tony wouldn't have gotten together and she wouldn't have this perfect life right now. She would wonder sometimes, what if Tony had come back early? Would things be this great if he had? Tony had told her that he had considered coming back early after his bought with the plague and had decided against it.

Abby had finally let go of McGee after about 18 months but still had times when she would just wonder what if. Tony and Kate had tried to comfort her as much they could through her rough period. Gibbs was the one who told her that it's okay to move on from loss and used him and Jenny as an example. Even though Abby and McGee weren't together when he died everyone knew that they had feelings for each other.

Susan had married her doctor from Bethesda and had gotten pregnant on her honeymoon. When she had told Tony after returning he couldn't have been more happy for her and Kate was just as excited considering that she was six months pregnant herself. It turned out that when she went to her first doctor's appointment she found out that she was expecting twins. Tony thought this was hilarious but that day Kate was in one of her moods and head slapped him for it reminding him that in a short amount of time he would have one of his own with her, which shut him up instantly. The only down side was that at the time he was down two agents. Tripp had just come back from his broken leg so he was good to go but Kate was already on desk duty and now Susan was to. Tony ended up getting two probies from the TAD pool to fill their slots out in the field.

Tripp also couldn't be happier because a little after him coming back to work his wife had announced she was going to leave the Navy and start her own business. It turned out that Sara had gone to a culinary school in Milan before joining the Navy after 9/11. The business she wanted to start was a five star restaurant but the only thing that she needed was backers. She had bought a place that had a nice venue in downtown DC before the attack on the twin towers but patriotism had won out. One day Tripp was grumbling about it at work and Tony offered to put the money forward for a 25% ownership in the restaurant. The next day Sara and Tripp came into work and hammered out the details so now DC has a very nice new place that is getting rave reviews for its food.

Ducky had decided to resign from NCIS after the whole ordeal but he agreed to train Palmer for a year because he was getting his degree then and could officially be the head ME when he retired. Ducky then handed the reigns over to Palmer and decided he wanted to travel around the world and chose to go to his homeland of Scotland first. Everyone was sad to see him go but he promised it was just a temporary respite.

Here they sat on their couch reminiscing about what if's and what could have been's and all of the things that could have been different after the unthinkable happened on that fateful day that had forever changed their lives but for the better.

**THE END**


End file.
